Yep That's My Twin
by Haruno Val
Summary: A boy, my twin rather, looked over the horizon with his hands on his hips. "Yep... Today I'm going to fly like a bird." He took in a deep breath before jumping off the ledge he was on. As he hit the ground, he didn't start crying or screaming. He instead snickered as he got up and patted himself off. "Let's try one more time..." Yep. That's my, Haruno Sakura's, twin...
1. Chapter One

"Wake up! Just because our new teacher is late, don't mean you can just sleep the day away!"

I internally winced as I was smacked again by my slightly aggressive younger sister. "Mah~! He's probably not going to show up for another hour! Let me sleep!"

"Get up right now Ren!" My sister screeched as she smacked the back of my head.

I released an aggravated sigh before sitting up. "Fine! I'm up! Can I go back to sleep now?!"

She immediately punched my face so hard, I fell out of my seat. "Of course not, idiot!"

I sighed once again as I looked into her green eyes. "I'm this close to just..." My mind blanked out as I tried finding a good threat. I had nothing, so I ended up shrugging. "I don't know. I'm tired. Someone kept me up all night because she was worried about-"

My pinkenette sister kicked my chest hard, cutting me off. "Shut it," she hissed with a blush on her cheeks.

"Are... Are you okay Haruno-kun?" My blonde teammate asked worriedly as he looked down at me.

I held up my thumb as I looked into the beautiful blue eyes that belonged to Uzumaki Naruto. "Yep. I'm a-okay."

He didn't looked convinced at all.

The almighty Uchiha Duckbutt gave a sigh before grumbling, "Knock it off."

I glared in his direction before slowly raising up my middle finger. "Kiss. My. A-"

Sakura stomped my middle finger into the ground. "You know you're not supposed to swear."

I looked over at my most precious finger, that was still under her sandal, in horror. "Oh my gods, you broke it! You have no idea how many people I flip off in a day! How could you do this to me?!"

She released a huff before just going back to her seat.

I was greatly relieved to find that my middle finger was fine. I petted it for a moment before finally getting up. "Alright, time to be the most immature kid in the room."

"You are not drawing on the board," Sakura growled with several irk marks on her head.

"I can never do anything fun anymore!" I exclaimed as I threw my hands into the air.

"Stop acting like a little kid, Ren!" She snapped at me.

I huffed before flopping down onto the nearest desk. "I'm so bored right now though."

"I don't care," she replied bitterly.

I looked over at Uzumaki-kun and whistled. "Hey, blondie."

"Yes white... ie...?" Uzumaki-kun replied dumbly.

I snickered as I sat up. "That was so lame."

"Well I don't know what the proper name for someone that has white hair is!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he pointed at my white locks.

"You don't know what the square root of one is," I said with a small roll of my eyes.

"So I'm not good at math! Who cares?!" He yelled before crossing his arms and turning away from me.

"How are you going to calculate the best possible trajectory and velocity of your shuriken if you're not good at math?" I questioned with a smirk.

Uzumaki-kun looked back at me with a confused look. "My... what?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me rephrase that," I said mockingly before grinning at him like the asshole that I was. "How are you going to actually hit your targets?"

"Hey! I can hit my targets just fine!" He exclaimed with a bright pink blush all over his cheeks.

"Yep. And I'm the Hokage," I said as I got to my feet. I cleared my throat before giving my 100% accurate Hokage impression. "I'm old and do paperwork all day. I like to lecture kids like the old fart that I am. I bet you didn't know this, but I'm also a huge pervert that likes the sexy jutsu."

Uzumaki-kun was practically dying as he rolled around the floor laughing. He was gasping for breath every so often, but he honestly couldn't stop laughing.

Sakura was trying to hide the fact that she was highly amused, but failed.

As for the almighty Uchiha Duckbutt, he had on the tiniest of smirks, so I won in the end.

I gave a bow to everyone before taking my seat. I was satisfied with my accomplishment for the next half-an-hour or so.

That's when Uzumaki-kun got my attention by opening the door and peaking through it. He released a hum as he looked both ways.

"Cut it out, Naruto!" Sakura demanded.

Uzumaki-kun looked over his shoulder at her. "Why are we the only team whose sensei hasn't shown up yet?!" He then began to pout as he said, "All the other teams have already gone off with their senseis. Even Iruka-sensei is gone!" He then got a mischievous look in his eyes and grabbed an eraser from the front board.

Sakura noticed and yelled out, "Hey! What are you up to Naruto?!"

Uzumaki-kun gave a chuckle as he hopped up on a stool and put the chalkboard eraser between the door and its frame. "It's what he gets for making us wait!"

"Grow up!" Sakura demanded despite the fact she totally loved that kind of stuff. "I want no part of it!"

I grabbed a small paper towel and wiped up the chalk that fell onto the floor. I gave Uzumaki-kun a thumbs up and said, "Now it'll be totally unsuspicious. That guy probably won't be looking out for an eraser up there, so it'll definitely work."

Uchiha gave a hmph. "No way could a superior shinobi be caught by such a simple booby trap."

I watched with baited breath as our teacher put his hand onto the door.

The unsuspecting man opened the door, and the eraser fell onto his head. From what I could see, which wasn't much really since his right eye and the bottom of his face was covered, he looked pretty neutral about it. Deep in his black eye though, he was very reminiscent about something. He seemed slightly amused as well.

Uzumaki-kun burst out laughing and pointed at the man. "Gotcha! Good one!"

"I'm sorry sensei. I tried to stop him, but Naruto..." Sakura trailed off. Her ass-kissing skills were improving - I was such a good influence.

"Thanks sensei! Now I don't have to clean this," I said cheerfully as I picked up the eraser. I put it back and flashed a smirk at the Uchiha.

"Hmm... How shall I say this?" Our new sensei questioned as he held his chin. "Based on my first impression, I'd have to say..." He gave a small chuckle before finishing his sentence off with a nice, "I hate you!"

"No worries! We hate you too! After all, you've wasted at least 3 hours, 27 minutes, and 19 seconds of our lives!" I chimed happily as I looked the man directly in the eye.

The man gave a small sigh before grumbling, "I'm going to hate you the most."

I beamed and looked over at my sister. I received a vicious glare in reply, but didn't care too much about that.

"Alright. Up to the roof," our new teacher said before poofing away.

"Alright! First impression was a success!" I chimed happily. I was kicked by my sister and laughed before rushing up to the roof. I got there last since I took a small detour to grab a small snack from the teacher's lounge.

"Did you get lost again?!" Sakura yelled at me as soon as I opened the door to the roof.

"I'm directionally challenged, sue me," I replied as I took my seat on the stairs in front of Uchiha. I then held out a dango to her, only for her to look at it in disgust. I then shrugged and was going to take it back when Uchiha took it from me and ate it. I looked at him in horror before looking to my new teacher. I pointed at Uchiha, but the man simply gave me a shrug.

"Now that we're all here, I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves," the man said.

"Like what?" Sakura asked.

"You know, the usual," the silver-haired man said with a shrug. "Your favorite thing, what you hate most. Hobbies, ambitions, dreams. Things like that."

"Help us out here. You go first. Show us how it's done," Uzumaki-kun said.

"That's right... After all, you're a complete stranger to us," Sakura said as she looked at him curiously.

"Oh, me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes. My dreams for the future are none of your business, but anyways, I have lots of hobbies," the black-eyed man said.

"He said a lot, but all we really got was his name," Sakura grumbled to the others.

"At least we got that much," I replied, earning a few snickers.

"Now it's your turn, starting with you on the right," Kakashi-sensei said as he looked at Uzumaki-kun.

"Me, right? My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant cup ramen! What I like even better is when Iruka-sensei treats me to ramen at the Ichiraku Noodle Bar! What I hate is the three minute wait after I pour in the boiling water. My dream is to one day..." He shifted his headband as he looked at our teacher with great determination. "...be the Hokage! Then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!"

Kakashi-sensei looked taken aback before his eye softened. It was quite obvious to anyone that was looking that he was smiling under that blue mask of his.

"My hobbies are practical jokes and pranks, I guess..." Uzumaki-kun then perked up and added, "Oh! I also like watching Haruno-kun's impressions of people! They're the best!"

I smiled brightly before putting my fist back for him to bump. I felt the fist bump and gave a small chuckle.

"Alright. Next," Kakashi-sensei said as he looked towards my younger twin.

"I am Haruno Sakura. My favorite thing is- Well it's not a thing, it's a person. A boy... And that boy is... My hobbies are..." My sister trailed off, but I could feel her eyes on Uchiha. "Uh... Let's move on to my dream." She gave a loud squeal that rung through my ears, making me smirk.

"What about your dislikes?" The teacher asked hesitantly, a small look of annoyance present as well.

"I hate Naruto," Sakura said mercilessly, making the boy start to sob.

"And you..." Kakashi-sensei looked just above me.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I hate, but I don't think it matters, considering there is almost nothing I do like. It seems pointless to talk about dreams. That's just a word. What I do have is an ambition. I plan to restore my clan, and kill a certain somebody..." Uchiha said, ending on quite the dark note.

I wanted to look back, but something in my gut told me it'd be best not to.

Kakashi-sensei looked slightly concerned, but brushed it aside as he looked at me. "And finally..."

"My name is Haruno Ren!" I piped up immediately. "I'm a total masochist, so feel free to use me as your punching bag at any time! I like flowers, rainy days, and my sister! My dislikes are... uh... I don't really dislike anything." I gave a small shrug before continuing on. "My hobbies are watching Uzumaki-kun pranks, giving my amazing impersonations of others, and being a total asshole. My dream for the future... Uh... I never really thought about it." I gave another shrug before looking up at the teacher expectantly.

Kakashi-sensei clearly had mixed feelings about someone as weird as me. "Alright, that's enough. I believe we all understand one another. Formal training begins tomorrow."

"Yes sir!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he saluted the man. "What will our duties be?!"

"Our first project involves only the members of this team," Kakashi-sensei said.

"What is it? What?" Uzumaki-kun asked eagerly.

"A survival exercise," he stated simply.

I grinned excitedly, but it seemed as though my team didn't share my enthusiasm.

"Survival exercises? But why would that be a mission?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"Our school days were full of survival training!" My sister pointed out.

"It won't be your typical practice. You'll have to survive... against me," Kakashi-sensei said darkly.

Kyaaa! He's probably going to kick my ass so hard! I can't wait! I thought excitedly as I held my cheeks.

"Well then, what kind of practice will it be?" Uzumaki-kun asked hesitantly.

"What are you laughing about Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura questioned.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that... If I told you, you'd chicken out," he replied as he waved us off.

"Chicken out? Why?" Uzumaki-kun demanded to know.

"Out of the twenty-eight members of your graduating class, only nine will actually be accepted as genin. The other nineteen must go back to the academy for more training," the man explained as he looked at us darkly. "The test we are about to perform has a 68% rate of failure."

Hah, I call bullshit, I thought with a smirk. Those of previous years haven't been back. They've been dropped from the program. I know that one.

Kakashi-sensei laughed. "See? You're chickening out already!"

"That sucks!" Uzumaki-kun yelled out. "We've been through hell! What about our graduation test?!"

"Oh! We eliminated all the hopeless cases from your ranks. The ones who are left are the only students who show true potential," Kakashi-sensei explained casually.

"Say what?!" Uzumaki-kun shrieked.

"In any event, we'll meet tomorrow morning on the practice field so that I can evaluate each of your skills and weaknesses. Bring all of your ninja tools and weapons. And don't have breakfast beforehand..." He looked all of us over with a sadistic expression before adding, "Unless you enjoy throwing up."

I grinned excitedly as he walked over and held out a few sheets towards us. I took mine and looked it over quickly.

"The details of your assignment are in this handout. Memorize it, and don't be late!" Kakashi-sensei said.

Sakura carefully looked it over while Uchiha just crumbled it up.

"Aw man! It's all in kanji!" Uzumaki-kun complained softly.

"Eh? You can't read kanji?" I asked as I looked back at the blonde. "To make a long story short, you wake up early, pack up all of your important crap, don't bother with breakfast, and then meet up in the training grounds at the asscrack of dawn. He'll be bringing lunch and will explain our training exercise there."

"Thank you Haruno-kun!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he hugged me tightly.

I laughed and patted his head. "No problemo, Uzumaki-kun!"

"Come on, Ren. Let's go," Sakura said as she watched Uchiha take his leave.

"Mkay. Coming," I said as I quickly followed after her. I heard Uzumaki-kun follow, and glanced back briefly towards our teacher. I looked him in the eye and gave a rather sadistic smirk. I quickly turned my head back around with my usual grin on my lips.

~Later~

"Hokage-sama, I have a few concerns regarding that Haruno Ren kid," Hatake Kakashi said as he stood before his leader.

The old man sighed. "I figured you would."

The silvernette's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"His personality seemed light and cheerful, but there was something else a bit deeper inside, wasn't there?" The Hokage questioned as he picked up his pipe.

"Yes sir..." The sharingan-wielder answered.

"As long as you don't give him any reason to see you as an enemy, you should be fine," the older man said as he turned his gaze towards the window.

"May I ask what happened to make him that way?" The Hatake questioned hesitantly.

"All children react to bullying differently. Ren is the type of kid to accept it with open arms and not say anything about it until one threatens to harm that which he holds dear..." The Hokage looked back at the ex-ANBU member. "You've heard of the Black Lotus Incident from six years ago, right?"

"What about it?" Kakashi replied questioningly.

"A boy had black lotuses shoved down his throat, and he had several lotus shapes engraved into his back. He never told anyone who had done that to him before he, and his family, fled away from the village," the man explained.

It took a moment before Hatake's visible eye widened. "Y-you aren't implying that-"

"Ren told me himself as soon as word got around that the boy had been hospitalized. He was rather apathetic about the entire thing, save for when he told me his motive." The Hokage sighed as he closed his eyes. He recalled the enraged look the amber-eyed boy had before continuing on. "Apparently, that boy had pushed Ren's younger twin sister down a rather steep embankment into a creek where she nearly drowned. Ren had helped his sister out and held in all of his rage until night had come. You know the rest, I'm sure."

The younger man's brow furrowed. "He would have been six at that age. Surely-"

"You were eight when you became a chunin, yes?" The Hokage interrupted.

"But there was a war happening then," the black-eyed man argued. "Now, it's peaceful-"

"Siblings have an amazing bond," the Hokage said as he looked out of the window once more. "It can hold them together through many things, and make their bond even stronger. Certain people will hold those bonds above anything else, even their own lives. Ren is one of those people, you see."

"So he nearly killed another boy over it?" Kakashi mumbled.

"For the sake of his sister's safety, he went after what he saw as a hazardous threat and took care of it whilst blinded by rage." The older of the two saw the worry ready to burst forth from his jônin and said reassuringly, "Ren has since gotten better control of his feelings."

"But as he's expending his circle, surely the danger for such an incident to happen again will grow," the Hatake said.

"It's a good thing he's a shinobi loyal to Konoha, isn't it?" The Hokage asked gravely.

Kakashi tensed up before realizing just how risky his new assignment was. "I... I understand Hokage-sama. I'll do my best." He gave a bow, his heart throbbing painfully as worry of the future filled him to the brim.


	2. Chapter Two

"What are you doing?! Kakashi-sensei said not to eat breakfast unless you want to throw up!" Sakura screeched at me.

I looked over my shoulder as my mouth was open wide, my chopsticks merely millimetres away from delivering my delish breakfast into my mouth, before shrugging. I finished my bite of food before saying, "I don't really mind throwing up. The pain it causes inside of my stomach and esophagus really-"

"I don't want to hear it," she interrupted as she looked away from me. "You are so weird sometimes."

I chuckled before quickly polishing off my plate. "Come on. I made extra. You didn't have dinner last night."

"I don't want to throw up," Sakura said snottily as she went back towards her bedroom.

"Bet you don't want to be lacking energy for the survival exercise either!" I yelled after her. I got the sound of a slamming door in reply before shrugging. "Meh, whatever. More for me."

A little while later, my sister and I were off to the training grounds. We arrived at the same time as the other two and ended up standing by the three stumps.

Well, they did.

I went over to the stone and silently prayed for a while. I realized that my teammates had no clue that this was important and felt just a bit of disappointment. Once I was done praying for all those who had lost their lives on the line of duty, I went back to my three teammates.

For the next few hours, I drifted in and out of sleep until Kakashi-sensei finally arrived about an hour before noon.

"Hello guys," he greeted.

"You're late!" Sakura and Uzumaki-kun yelled at him angrily.

"A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way," Kakashi-sensei lied.

I rolled my eyes at that excuse before looking over at the marker once again. I had focused on the names there until Kakashi-sensei brushed past me.

"I've set this alarm to go off at noon." Kakashi-sensei said as he turned his attention towards us. He then pulled out two bells attached to red string. "I have two bells here. Your challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds. Anyone who fails... doesn't get lunch. Instead, you will be tied to that tree stump so I can eat your lunch in front of you."

Haha! I ate breakfast! Suck on that sensei! I thought as I put my hands on my hips and smiled triumphantly.

"All you need is one bell... apiece. But since there aren't enough to go around, two of you are definitely headed for the stumps... And whoever they are will be the first of you to fail. Two of you are on your way back to school... and disgrace," Kakashi-sensei said dramatically.

I rolled my eyes as I put my hands into my pockets. I knew it was bullshit that he was using to motivate us, but telling the truth would have been slightly better.

"You may, if you choose, use shuriken," the man stated as he hid the bells away in his right fist. "Attack as though you mean to kill, or you'll never stand a chance."

"But... But that's so dangerous!" Sakura exclaimed.

"You couldn't even dodge an eraser! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Uzumaki-kun yelled with a laugh.

"Only the weak speak loudly. Let's forget about the loser, and we'll start on my signal," Kakashi-sensei said with slight annoyance. It was clear that he wasn't really annoyed though.

Uzumaki-kun failed to notice and pulled a kunai out. He flicked it around and went for the attack, blinded by rage.

I immediately moved out the the way and covered my sister just in case.

Kakashi-sensei made his move and grabbed Uzumaki-kun's hand with his right hand. With his left hand, he grabbed the back of Uzumaki-kun's head. He then moved the boy's arm back so that the kunai be very close to killing the boy while being pointed at the back of his neck.

I felt an odd sense of anger fill me. I kept a neutral expression as I stared at the kunai that Uzumaki-kun held. I had a strange impulse, an impulse to cause harm to Kakashi-sensei.

"Not so fast. I didn't say, "go"," Kakashi-sensei said before looking down at Uzumaki-kun with a smile. "But at least you struck to kill... So it seems you've begun to respect me." He gave a chuckle. "Maybe... Just maybe... I'm starting to like you four. And now... Ready... Steady... Go!"

I quickly jumped back into the treeline and watched Kakashi-sensei closely. I dropped my little act of stupidity and began to calculate possible moves of him whilst trying to think up a plan to get those two bells. I knew that I only needed one, but I wasn't exactly going to use those bells for myself. I was definitely going to give one to Sakura and the other to Uzumaki-kun.

Uchiha didn't deserve the bell. He was blinded by the need for revenge, something I personally knew was a bad thing. He couldn't tell that his life was being stolen by his desire to kill his older brother.

Yeah, I knew. I was one of the few kids that managed to find it out. Well, I actually found it out from Itachi-senpai himself. I really was directionally challenged as a kid, and Itachi-senpai was someone that would take time out of his busy schedule to help me get to a place that I needed to go...

I had stumbled across him and immediately saw how much blood he was covered in.

"What are you doing out here so late at night?" Itachi-senpai muttered after giving a sigh.

"You're... all bloody..." I mumbled as I looked up at him nervously.

"I just came back from a mission," he said as be brushed a few strands of hair back.

"O-oh..." I felt a bead of sweat run down the back of my neck. "Hey... Who'd you kill?"

He looked at me with surprise, his sharingan activated. He definitely didn't just come back from a mission. He closed his eyes before giving a small sigh. "Of course I couldn't slide it past you. Come here Ren."

I hesitantly approached him and stopped only a few steps away.

He kneeled down and put a hand on my shoulder. He smiled kindly at me before saying softly, "It was nice knowing you. Goodbye."

"Wha-" I cut myself off as his eyes began to swirl around. I felt dizzy, and my body began to collapse. I fell easily into his arms and just barely heard his last words to be before I slipped into unconsciousness.

"I killed my clan."

I bit my lower lip as I snapped myself out of it. I looked down at Kakashi-sensei and saw that he was taunting a very wet Uzumaki-kun. Shit. I missed a lot. Ah, how the hell am I supposed to get those damn bells by myse- Oh my gods! That son of a bitch!

Uzumaki-kun's clone grabbed Kakashi-sensei from behind with a large grin.

I immediately moved from my spot and attempted to take a bell, only to pass by a clone of Uzumaki-kun. "Ah... A substitution... Shit..."

"Hey! What're you doing?! Those bells were going to be mine!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at me.

"Teamwork!" I blurted out as I held my hands up in mock defense.

"Wait... Teamwork...? So... If you get a bell... And I get a bell..." Uzumaki-kun held up two fingers before looking at me suspiciously. "How do I know you won't take both of the bells for yourself?"

"Because I pledge my allegiance to the future Hokage," I promised.

He hummed before turning away. "No-can-do Haruno-kun! If I'm going to be the greatest Hokage, I need to do this by myself!"

"How the flying fuck are you going to beat a jônin by yourself?!" I screamed after him as he ran away from me.

"I have kage bunshins!" He yelled back.

I looked at him with annoyance before raising both of my middle fingers. I then huffed before turned towards the two that were probably still hidden away in their original spots. "Come over here if you want to use teamwork!"

Neither Sakura nor Uchiha bothered to show themselves.

"Great, I'll just sit over there and wait for all of us to fail then," I said as I pointed at the marker. I moved the food out of my way and began to read over all the names that were on the marker. I ignored practically everything else until Uzumaki-kun grabbed one of the two bento boxes. "Are you kidding me?"

"What? I'm hungry! A ninja must see through deception after all," he grinned at me foxily.

I rolled my eyes and turned away. "Don't eat so close to this marker."

He grumbled under his breath before ignoring my warning.

I sighed before just punching him across the face. "There, now will you move?"

"Hey! What was that... for...?" Uzumaki-kun trailed off as he looked behind me nervously. He gave a sheepish laugh and said softly, "Just kidding..."

"Too late," Kakashi-sensei said, making me jolt. He then grabbed Uzumaki-kun and tied the boy to a stump. He then turned his attention towards me. "Do you want to try now?"

"Mind as fucking well," I muttered as I stood up. "So, before I fail at getting those bells, can I ask you something?"

The man gave a hum.

"Who's name is it?" I asked as I pointed my thumb over my shoulder at the stone.

He looked at it sadly before saying softly, "Names."

I dropped my thumb and gave a small nod. "Okay. Do you want me to just come straight at you like my idiotic teammates have done?"

He gave a small nod. "Sure, that's pretty simple."

I pulled out a kunai before looking at Kakashi-sensei blankly. "Great."

His brow furrowed for a moment, but only for a moment. He then immediately pulled out a kunai of his own and stopped my hand from going any closer to his neck.

"Great," I muttered softly before pulling out a second kunai. I slashed towards his thigh, but missed. I was kicked harshly in the gut and ended up sliding a few meters away. "Great..."

He repositioned his kunai as Uzumaki-kun cheered me on in the background.

I released a small breath before lunging for him again. I watched his shadow move as he jumped over me. I quickly performed a few hand signs before turning around. I looked him dead in the eye before casting the highest-level genjutsu that I knew.

He was caught in it for a moment before releasing it. That was all the time that I needed though.

I had four kunais placed around him that were stabbed through different pieces of paper. I quickly threw a kunai towards Uzumaki-kun and finished performing the necessary hand signs. I slammed my hands into the ground before watching the seals from the pieces of paper crawl up Kakashi-sensei's legs.

"This level of- There's no way." The man looked at me with slight apprehension as he failed to move his legs away from my crawling seals.

"The fourth ninja art - fūinjutsu..." I said as I looked up at him blankly. "Restraining you like this takes up quite a bit of chakra, however..."

"Wha- I can move!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as his ropes fell away. "Time to get those bells!"

I grinned maliciously at the man that was almost fully immobilized. "I'm giving my bell to my sister. Uchiha and I will fail, got it sensei?"

Just before Uzumaki-kun could touch the bells, the alarm went off.

"You fail," Kakashi-sensei stated happily with a closed-eye smile.

"Oh, fuck you," I snarled as I lifted my hands off the ground. I watched the seals quickly retreat to their separate pieces of paper and grumbled.

Uzumaki-kun sobbed as he was retied to the middle stump.

I collected my kunais and papers before grabbing the clock. I threw it at our teacher and took its spot with my arms crossed. "This is such fucking bullshit..."

About ten minutes later, Uchiha and Sakura found their way to us as sat down on the ground in front of Uzumaki-kun.

All of our stomachs growled as Kakashi-sensei placed two bento boxes before us.

"Oh my. Listen to all the little stomach growl! By the way you three, I have an announcement about this exercise," Kakashi-sensei said, making my brow furrow.

Three? There's four of us, I thought with great confusion.

"None of you need to worry about being sent back to the academy!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Uzumaki-kun cheered as the others looked happy. "This rocks! It means all three of us-"

"-are being dropped from the program permanently," Kakashi-sensei and I interrupted in unison.

"So you knew?" Kakashi-sensei questioned immediately afterwards.

I gave a small sigh as everyone looked towards me. "Yeah, I knew. I'm friends with Gai-sensei and his team."

Kakashi-sensei looked slightly disgusted with that statement before shaking it off. "You three should give up on being shinobi."

"By the way, who passed?" I asked.

"You did," the man replied.

"Wait, really?" I blurted out in surprise, earning a nod from the silver-haired shinobi.

"What do you mean by give up?!" Uzumaki-kun screamed at our sensei. "Give me a break! So none of us got your stupid bells! Why the hell should we quit over that?! And why did Haruno-kun pass?!"

"Ren is the only one of you that has what it takes," Kakashi-sensei stated.

Uchiha grew furious at that revelation and went after Kakashi-sensei. He was easily taken down though and was sat on by the teacher.

"What you are is a trio of spoiled brats," Kakashi-sensei spat out.

"Don't step on Sasuke-kun like he's some kind of bug! Get off of him!" Sakura yelled.

Kakashi-sensei glared at us. "Are you trying to make fun of shinobi with your behavior? Well, are you? Did any of you besides Ren stop to wonder for one minute why you were put onto teams?"

"Uh... Excuse me?" Sakura asked stupidly.

"Obviously not," Kakashi-sensei replied to his previous question. "So you missed the entire point of this exercise."

"It had a point...?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"Of course. And that point determines whether or not you would succeed," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"But... You haven't explained what it is!" Sakura objected.

Kakashi-sensei gauged their reactions for a moment before saying with great exasperation, "I don't believe this..."

"Aw, come on already! Just tell us what it is!" Uzumaki-kun yelled.

"Ren..." Kakashi-sensei called out.

"It's teamwork," I answered with my eyes closed and arms crossed.

"If the four of you had come at me together, you might have been able to take these bells," our teacher said.

"If we were expected to function as a team, why did you only have two bells?! Even if we'd work together, two of us would still have had to go without lunch. You're preaching teamwork, but you played us against each other!" Sakura yelled out defensively.

"Of course. This task was designed to cause dissension in your ranks," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"What?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

"The situation was set up to reveal which of you would set aside individual interests and propose to the others that you work together for the good of all," Kakashi-sensei said before glancing up at me, "Just as Ren had done."

I gave a small sigh as I looked up towards the sky. "You can stop the ass-kissing now."

"Instead of which..." Kakashi-sensei continued on as if I had said nothing. "Sakura, you ignored Naruto and Ren, who were right in front of you while you instead focused your attention on Sasuke, though you didn't know where he was. Naruto tried to do, single-handedly, what should have been the work of all four! And Sasuke had already decided that the other three just got in his way, and he was better off playing solo. In a way, Ren was almost no better. In the end, he managed to twist Naruto around his finger." Kakashi-sensei ranted.

Asshole, I thought as I kept a straight face.

"You are a team! Learn to act like one! Yes, it's necessary for a shinobi to have individual skills, but what's even more important now is teamwork!" Kakashi-sensei explained before reaching his hand back into his pouch. "Making a plan as an individual is bad for your team and exposes your comrades to unnecessary danger. You might as well kill them yourself... Like this..."

I gave a small nod before watching him pull out a kunai.

Kakashi-sensei pointed said kunai at the Uchiha's neck. "Ren! Kill Sakura and Naruto or Sasuke dies!"

I motioned for him to kill Uchiha and got a glare from the teacher in reply. I gave a small shrug as my own response.

"The day could come when one of you may be taken hostage, and you're forced to make such a choice," he explained as he stood up and put his kunai away. He turned heel and walked over to the stone. "Look at this marker... All the names engraved on this stone are heroes of this village. Ninja."

Uzumaki-kun perked up. "That's it! I've just made up my mind! There's where I want my name to go! I'm not gonna throw my life away! I want to be like them - a hero!"

I couldn't help but let sadness crawl onto my face at that statement.

Kakashi-sensei cleared his throat. "...But the ones listed there aren't just any heroes..."

"Really?! What kind of heroes are they?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled eagerly.

When Kakashi-sensei didn't reply, I gave a sigh. "Listen, they're a special kind of hero. If you wish to become Hokage, you must do it before you get your name engraved on that stone."

"Why?" Uzumaki-kun asked curiously as the other two looked at me with great interest.

"Every single one of those heroes are KIA. They've all been killed in action. For the sake of the village, those faithful ninja have died on the line of duty. That is why they are heroes..." I explained softly as I looked over at that marker.

Uzumaki-kun immediately lost his enthusiasm and looked down at the ground sadly.

The other two weren't really any better.

"This is a memorial. It includes the name of my best friend," Kakashi-sensei explained.

I slipped off of the stump and patted Uzumaki-kun's head reassuringly. I looked at the stone and wondered which poor shinobi was the one that Kakashi-sensei held so dear.

"...Pay attention!" Kakashi-sensei demanded as he glared over his shoulder. "I'm giving you three one last chance. One that will be far more difficult that our last little game with the bells. If you're prepared to continue, you may eat one of the bento boxes. But no sharing with Naruto. He goes hungry."

"Why?" Sakura questioned.

"He brought it on himself when he tried to sneak lunch for himself. If either of you feed him, you fail the test right there," Kakashi-sensei explained as he moved away from the stone. "My word is law. Do you understand?" Kakashi-sensei asked threateningly before turning his attention back to me. "Let's go Ren."

"I'm coming," I said softly as I walked over to him. I allowed him to teleport us away to a location not too far away. I held on a sigh as I sat down and held my legs close to my chest. "Hey sensei... When you said that only nine people pass... I want to be the one that fails. Sakura is really only becoming a kunoichi for Uchiha, and Uzumaki-kun really should end up as a Hokage. I don't really fit in there, so I-"

He gently patted my head as he sat down next to me. "Don't be like that. I honestly was expecting you four to fail, so that's why I didn't tell you that there's been an exception this year. Ten people can pass and become genin."

I looked up at him in surprise. "R-really?"

He nodded before looking up. "I've failed every single student of mine before now."

"Teamwork is really important to you, huh?" I asked softly.

"Uchiha Obito... was my best friend. He died to save my life," he said so softly, I nearly missed it. He looked over at me, sadness clear in his eye. He patted my head once more before standing up and poofing away.

I looked towards the ground for a moment before sighing. I had read that name over many times. I briefly wondered how old that Uchiha was when he died, but brushed it aside. I knew it wasn't any of my concern and went to join my teammates.

"In the ninja world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders are scum. But those who do not care for and support their fellow shinobi are even worse than scum," Kakashi-sensei said.

I smiled softly at him as I sat myself down on the log that Naruto-san was tied to. I then watched Naruto-san give a blush at our teacher's words with a devious smirk.

Kakashi-sensei then held his thumb out towards us. "This exercise is now closed! You all pass! That's all for today, Team Seven! Your duties will commence tomorrow! Now, let's go home." He grabbed his bag, as did the other two, and began to walk off.

"I can't believe you blushed at him. So you have a crush on Kakashi-sensei, huh?" I asked the Uzumaki before running off with my own bag.

"Wait! It wasn't like that! Hey! I'm still tied up! Guys! Hey!" Uzumaki-kun screamed.

The four of us ignored his screams as we went off back to the main part of the village.

"Oh, by the way Ren," Kakashi-sensei called out.

I hummed and looked up at him. I felt my smile become forced as I stared at his presumably sinister smile.

"The next time I say not to eat breakfast, don't eat it," he said darkly before giving a closed-eye smile.

"Of course, sir..." I replied quickly with a small bow of my head. My non-existent ovaries have exploded! I really want him to beat me up now!

Sakura snickered at me softly as Uchiha gave a smirk.

I stuck my tongue out at both of them before pouting slightly. They could never understand the wonders of masochism...

~Later~

I snickered as I capped my permanent marker. I slipped it away before shaking Uzumaki-kun awake.

"Uh? Who? What time is it?" Uzumaki-kun asked dumbly.

I cut the rope binding him to stump and put his backpack in his arms. "You fell asleep training again idiot. Go get some ramen and sleep at your apartment."

"Mkay Otou-san," he mumbled sleepily before stumbling off. He was completely unaware of the dicks and rather lewd words I wrote on his face.

I had my hands on my hips as I watched him leave. I'm official the cruelest father in all of Konoha_._


	3. Chapter Three

"This is literally the stupidest thing I've ever done," I commented over my communication necklace- earpiece- device thingy.

"I don't care," Kakashi-sensei shot back before asking, "What're your positions?"

"Right about position... this-is-fucking-stupid," I replied honestly.

"... I'm going to assume you mean position D," Kakashi-sensei said after a small pause.

"There too," I agreed with a nod that no one else could see.

"Sasuke at position B," Uchiha cut in.

"Sakura at position C," my sister piped up as well.

There was a long pause before Uzumaki-kun exclaimed, "Uzumaki Naruto at position A!"

"You were late Naruto-" Kakashi-sensei scolded before suddenly cutting himself off. "The target just moved! Don't let it get away!"

My three teammates lunged for the cat as I casually stepped out from behind my tree.

"Remember, our quarry has a ribbon on its right ear that says "Tora". Make sure there's no mistake," Kakashi-sensei ordered.

"Target confirmed," Uchiha reported to our leader.

"Good! Then "Mission: Find The Missing Pet" is accomplished!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed.

As Tora scratched Uzumaki-kun's face rather hard, the boy yelled out in a deafening tone, "This is the worst mission ever! I hate cats!"

"No one cares about your suffering if no one cares about mine," I replied rather rudely.

"I care about your suffering Naruto," Kakashi-sensei said over the communication device. That son of a bitch!

The walk back was rather tense.

My teammates were waiting for me to attack our teacher, and our teacher looked as though he was constantly on edge as, he too, waited for me to just lunge or something. The torture that they endured would teach them for not caring about my opinions...

As soon as our team got back to the place assignments were given out, Shijimi-sama took Tora out of Uzumaki-kun's arms and squeezed the poor animal against her face. "Poor Tora. Good little kitty-kitty... I was so worried about you, I could have died!"

Too bad you didn't, I thought as I kept my expression neutral, That's animal abuse, lady...

"Now, the next assignment for Team Kakashi will be... Hmm... to babysit for the council of elders... to run errands to the neighboring village... to help dig sweet potatoes..." Hokage-sama listed off.

I gave a small nod before glancing down at Uzumaki-kun. And here comes-

"No way! No thank you! Boooring!" Uzumaki-kun yelled out as he crossed his arms. "Give us something different to do. Something important! Something amazing!"

"Don't be a fool! You're only a beginner!" Iruka-sensei yelled angrily as he slammed his hands onto the desk. "Everyone starts out doing grunt work! It's where you get experience, so you can work your way up to bigger things!"

"We've done tons of small stuff. Can't we get some action?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled back.

Kakashi-sensei hit the poor boy's head. "Naruto, that's enough. Knock it off!"

"Apparently Naruto needs an explanation of just what these duties are..." Hokage-sama mused before he began his spiel, "You see, every day, our village receives many requests for everything from babysitting to assassination. We take that tremendous variety and sort them into categories from A to D, based on the degree of skill they require. We have also divided the shinobi into classes based on the level of their skill. After we of the upper echelon have sorted all the requests, we distribute them to those ninja with the appropriate skill level. And if the ninja in question completes those duties successfully, then the grateful person he has helped pays him a fee. This far, the four of you have only just attained the lowest rank. Level D Tasks are the best you could aspire to."

Meanwhile, Uzumaki-kun was off in his own little world while Sakura and Uchiha paid attention to him instead of Hokage-sama. "Hmm... I had pork ramen for lunch yesterday... So I think I'll have miso ramen today."

"Are you listening?!" Hokage-sama yelled out.

"Of course, sir," I replied immediately.

"I... I'm sorry," Kakashi-sensei apologized as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I don't want to hear it!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at the old man, "All the old fart ever does is apologize and then give me a lecture! But it's not fair. There's more to me than the troublemaking screwup the old man thinks I am!" He then turned around and proceeded to pout.

Ugh, children, I thought as I tried to remain neutral, but failed.

Iruka-sensei and Hokage-sama both gave a smile at Uzumaki-kun's behavior and decided to loosen up a bit on the rules.

"Very well..." Hokage-sama said as my teammates, sensei, and I looked at him with surprise. "Since you put it that way... I will permit you to attempt a C Grade Task - usually reserved for shinobi of the chunin level - the protection of a certain individual."

"All right!" Uzumaki-kun cheered. "Who is it? Some great lord? The daimyō?! A princess?!"

I snorted. "This is for chunin, not jônin. And with your luck, it'll be some drunk old man."

"Compose yourselves. I'll perform the introductions straight away," Hokage-sama said with a subtle smirk.

The door opened and some grey haired, sake-holding man leaned in the doorway.

_Yep, definitely a drunk old man,_ I thought.

"What's going on here? They look like a bunch of snot-nosed brats." He took a sip of his alcohol. "Especially the midget. He's got the face of an imbecile. It's a joke, right? You kids aren't really ninja, are you?"

In the order of height, it went Uchiha, me, Sakura, and then Uzumaki-kun.

"Who do you mean? Which midget? Who's the imbeci-" Uzumaki-kun laughed until he realized that he was the shortest. "I'll kill him!"

I kicked his feet out from under him, and Kakashi-sensei grabbed ahold of the back of the boy's collar.

"Wrong," Kakashi-sensei scolded, "No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect."

"I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder. Until I am safely back in my own country, where I'll be completing my next bridge, you'll all be expected to protect me... even if it costs you your lives!" The old man declared.

I'm not really going to have to die for this old fart, am I? I thought as I looked up at my teacher with a raised eyebrow.

He gave a small sigh. "Everyone, pack your things and meet up at the front gate in an hour."

I may have to die for some old fart. Great, I thought sarcastically as Sakura and I headed back to our home.

Okaa-san was there and greeted us with a smile. "Where are you off to now?"

"We may die escorting an old bridge builder back to his country," I replied seriously, only for Sakura to scoff and probably roll her eyes.

Okaa-san laughed and patted my head. "Have fun then, you two."

"We will. Thanks Okaa-san," Sakura said with a bright smile.

I internally kissed my ass goodbye as I went to pack up a few changes of clothes and all of my ninja weapons. I then walked with Sakura down to the village gates after giving Okaa-san one final hug, or at least that's what I thought at the time.

As usual, Kakashi-sensei was late, but thankfully it was only by five minutes that time. "Sorry guys. I got lost on the path of life."

"Just roll with it. He does this all the time," I whispered to Tazuna-san, who gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Alright! Road trip!" Uzumaki-kun cheered excitedly with his fists on the air.

"What are you blabbing about?" Sakura questioned rudely.

"This'll be the first time in my life I've ever been outside of the village!" Uzumaki-kun explained.

"Am I really expected to place my life in the hands of a fool?" Tazuna-san asked Kakashi-sensei as he pointed at the back of Uzumaki-kun's head.

The silver-haired man sighed before answering, "There's no call for concern. I'm a jônin, and I'll be coming along too."

Uzumaki-kun quickly turned around and pointed angrily at Tazuna-san. "Listen, you old geezer! You don't mess with ninja, ever! Especially not one as good as me! I am the cream of the elite! In fact, one day I'm going to be the next Hokage, so remember my name! It's Uzumaki Naruto!"

"The Hokage is strong and wise. You're idiotic and puny," Tazuna-san replied bitterly.

"Well you're old and stupid!" Uzumaki-kun retorted like a champ. "I am doing all the right things, and I'm doing them fast. And when I become Hokage, you're gonna wish you respected me a lot more!"

"The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly," Tazuna-san commented as he began to walk away.

"You're so dead!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he lunged towards the old man, only to be grabbed by Kakashi-sensei.

"Yeah, that is what he's implying," I said as I also walked along. I realized that no one was following and looked back at my tense client and dumbstruck teammates blankly. "What? It's the truth."

"Is he really okay for something like this?" Tazuna-san whispered to Kakashi-sensei.

"He'll come around," my black-eyed teacher replied with a small shrug.

Tazuna-san looked at me suspiciously and kept his distance.

I internally sighed before I began to walk along once more. First impression - fail.

"Um, Tazuna-san..." Sakura eventually called out after a while of walking in silence.

"What now?" The grumpy old man asked.

"You come from the Nami no Kuni, right?" She questioned.

"What of it?" Tazuna-san replied.

"Um... Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura called out. "Are there ninja in that country too?"

"No, not in Nami no Kuni. But, as a general rule, even with all the differences that exist in local customs and cultures, most other lands have their own hidden village where a ninja clan reside," Kakashi-sensei answered, "For most of the countries on this continent, the ninja villages serve as the military force. They protect their own people and handle ongoing relations with neighboring countries! Yet, the villages do not answer to the rules of their native countries. Instead, they are on equal footing with the government. In the case of very small island nations where an invasion would be difficult to mount, a ninja village is regarded as not necessary. Among the various ninja villages, in particular, those located in the land of Konoha, Kiri, Kumo, Suna, and Iwa are large - and their strength is immense. Those are called the five great lands of shinobi. They are also the only places where the shinobi leader calls himself a Kage. Those legendary leaders, Hokage and Mizukage for example... Plus Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage are known to ninja everywhere as the five Kages, the ultimate commanders of all of the tens of thousands of shinobi throughout the world."

"Really? Hokage-sama is so amazing!" Sakura cheered a bit too enthusiastically.

"You just doubted the Hokage, didn't you?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he looked at my guilty teammates.

"Nah. I know he's important," I said honestly. "He's pretty powerful, even for an old man. And all of this land's problems fall onto his shoulders - keeping peace and the like. He has a strong Will of Fire that he fights to protect each and every day, both mentally and physically. It doesn't matter if it's just paperwork, as that paperwork could end up deciding if another country tries to wage war on us. Everything is kept in balance by that man, and it is by that man that we can all live without fear constantly creeping up our backs concerning our future."

"You're pretty philosophical for a snot-nosed brat," Tazuna-san said as he looked at me with some amount of respect.

"It's something every shinobi should know, so don't praise me." I replied blankly before finally taking my hands out of my pocket.

"Well, there's nothing to worry about. You won't face any duels with ninjas from other villages while handling C-Ranked Missions," Kakashi-sensei said as he patted Sakura's head.

"So I don't have to worry about facing and foreign shinobi?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"Of course not!" Kakashi-sensei replied with a laugh.

Tazuna-san flinched before taking a gulp. His actions were noticed by Kakashi-sensei, Uchiha, and I.

That's when a puddle came passing by.

My eyes sparked before I jumped onto it as hard as I could. "Death goes to the puddle, and victory is claimed by Haruno Ren!"

The two adults and three adolescents stared at me blankly in reply.

I felt my face flush red and quickly walked away from the puddle. "Please don't ask..."

The five exchanged looks before following after me.

We only managed to get a meter or so before an odd noise caught everyone's attention. We all turned around, save for Kakashi-sensei who was trapped between a chain that was connected to two men's odd claw devices they wore on their arm.

"One little piggy," the two said in unison before pulling their arms away from each other.

My eyes widened in horror as I saw Kakashi-sensei's body split apart into many bloody pieces. I immediately felt rage and pulled out a kunai. I turned around to Uzumaki-kun and dragged him out of the way of the men. I quickly sliced a lotus design into the longer-haired man's chest and ignored how their claws moved towards my head.

Uchiha sprung into action and threw a shuriken to keep their chain attached to a tree, this rendering it unusable. He then threw a kunai which landed in the small circle designed for one's fingers, securing the shuriken in place. The black-eyed boy landed on their clawed arms before kicking the two across their faces.

The men detached themselves from the chain and went their separate ways. One went after Uzumaki-kun - the longer-haired one. The other one headed towards Sakura and the bridge builder.

My hands quickly made multiple jutsu signs as I headed over to protect Sakura. I forced the last one and growled, "Saku: Kuro no Hasu."

The man headed towards Uzumaki-kun released a small noise of pain before stopping in his tracks just as I managed to reach Sakura and stand before her.

Uchiha appeared before me at the last possible second with his arm outstretched to both sides.

That's when Kakashi-sensei showed back up to grab the man by his neck. He held the other unconscious man with his other arm, his gaze directed towards Uzumaki-kun. "I'm sorry Naruto. I should have moved to help you sooner - before you were injured. It never occurred to me that you would freeze up."

I looked over at Uzumaki-kun and noticed that his hand was injured and bleeding slightly. I immediately went over with a new kunai. "This is going to hurt."

Uzumaki-kun looked at me in confusion. "Wha-"

I grabbed ahold of his hand and carefully slit the wound open wider.

Uzumaki-kun shrieked as he tried to pull his hand away. "What're you doing?!"

I ignored him and carefully sucked on his blood. Once I got a mouthful, I turned my head to the side and spit it out. I went back to his hand and repeated the process a few more times.

"Quick thinking Ren," Kakashi-sensei said with approval. "That's sure to get the poison out quickly."

"Poison?" Sakura repeated worriedly.

I paused before pointing at the claw of one of the men. "That slight tint on part of the metal is poison. The fastest way to get poison out of someone's blood stream is to cut the wound open wider and have someone suck the blood out." I then went back to my sucking as I listened into the others.

"Tazuna-san..." Kakashi-sensei said.

"Wha... What is it?!" Tazuna-san yelled worriedly.

Kakashi-sensei glared over his shoulder at the man. "I need to speak with you..." After he tied the men to a tree, he began explaining the situation. "Our attackers appear to be chunin ninja of Kirigakure. They're shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved, even at the cost of their own lives."

"Obviously they were watching and waiting for us," the shorter-haired man noted.

"Would you care to do the honors Ren?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"To be honest, I just jumped on them because that's what I do to all puddles," I explained before clearing my throat. "Anyways, the sun is out, and it hasn't rained for several days. Therefore, there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground."

"If you guys knew all of that, why did you even let those creeps attack you?" Tazuna-san questioned.

"I could have killed them at any time... But..." Kakashi-sensei glared over at Tazuna-san. "I wanted to find out who their real target was."

"What do you mean by that?" Tazuna-san asked.

"Were you really the one they were after, or was it one of us ninja?" Kakashi-sensei asked before looking at the man seriously. "There has been no word of any shinobi seeking to take your life. The request that was relayed to Hokage-sama was that you have an escort to protect you against any roving bands of thieves or brigands. In any case, it's clear this is more than a B-Rank mission. To protect you from ordinary dangers until you complete the bridge you're currently constructing would be a simple thing..."

Tazuna-san looked down guiltily.

"But if you expected to be the target of a ninja assault, then it is beyond question that this would have been classified - and priced - as a mission for elite ninja. You may have had your reasons, but it's never a good idea to conceal the facts when you are asking for help," Kakashi-sensei explained, "As it is, the task falls far beyond the boundaries of the job we were assigned."

,

"We're not good enough yet to handle something like this... Can we quit?" Sakura asked, surprising me.

I stopped taking care of Uzumaki-kun to stare at her in shock.

"We'll need an anesthetic for Naruto's wound. Can't we return to the village and have a doctor look at it?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi-sensei looked over at Uzumaki-kun and I before humming. "This is... complicated. Do we go back now so we can make certain that Naruto receives proper medical attention...?"

"I have some ointment right here as well as bandages, so-" I cut myself off and put my hand in the way of his kunai. I didn't flinch as the blade plunged into my hand. "Hey idiot, I already have your wound under control. Chill out."

Uzumaki-kun looked at me in horror. "I-I'm so-"

"I hate it... when people get hurt," I said honestly as I gave him a small smile. "I hate it even more when people hurt themselves. Please don't do something stupid like this again, for my sake."

A few tears slipped from his eyes as he released his grip on his kunai and stepped away.

"Great!" I chirped happily as I pulled the kunai out. I threw it to the side and grabbed his injured hand. I put some healing ointment on it before bandaging it up carefully. I then turned to Kakashi-sensei and asked, "Mind giving me a hand?" I grinned with one eye closed as my uninjured hand pointed a finger gun at him.

"Are you crazy, Ren?!" Sakura screamed at me.

"Nope, just a masochist," I replied happily.

Kakashi-sensei came over and carefully took my hand in his. He pulled up my left white and black arm warmer in order to see how bad my kunai wound was. "Wow, this is some bloodf low. You could bleed to death. I'm serious, Ren." He smiled at me as a heart practically floated next to him.

I felt a bead of sweat run down the back of my neck as the situation finally hit me. "I-I don't want to die. There's so many things I haven't done yet. I can't die without flipping the Hokage off to his face. Hurry up and wrap my hand. Please."

He chuckled before putting some of my ointment onto the rather bad wound. He then wrapped it up with a rather serious look. He looked at me dead in the eyes once he was done and said, "Don't ever do something like that again. Understood?"

"Y-yes sir..." I said softly as I looked down at my injured palm.

He patted my head once before holding out a small handkerchief. "Wipe your chin off."

I quickly did so before attempting to give the man his handkerchief back. I failed, so I decided that I'd wash it and find a way to return it later. I also took my left arm warmer off and shoved it into my back pouch.

"Um... Kakashi-sensei... I... have something I need to say..." Tazuna-san called out hesitantly. "Uh- There's something you should know... about the request I made to your village..."

Kakashi-sensei now gave the man his full attention as Tazuna-san walked closer.

"As you guessed, the job is more dangerous than you and your students were led to believe. There's a real scary man who wants to see me dead," Tazuna-san explained.

"A "real scary" man...?" Kakashi-sensei repeated questioningly.

Tazuna-san didn't reply.

"Who is he?" The black-eyed man pressed.

"You've probably heard of him," Tazuna-san replied with a sigh. "He's a billionaire in the field of marine transportation. His name is Gatô!"

"You mean... Gatô... of Gatô Shipping and Transport? The Gatô? They say he's the richest man in the world!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed with great surprise.

"Oooh!" I yelled, making everyone turn their attention towards me. "I heard that Gatô was now in Nami no Kuni. And since you're building a bridge to connect your land to the outside world, you're rather bad for business. Though... It doesn't explain why he wants you dead..."

"You... You really are smarter than I gave your credit for..." Tazuna-san sighed as he looked down. "On the surface, Gatô looks like a legitimate businessman. The truth is he's a ruthless murdering criminal who employs gangs and teams of shinobi, and traffics in drugs and contraband. He starts out taking over companies... and ends up ruining entire countries. He lives by every low and vicious trade known to man. It was just one year ago... that he set his sights on Nami no Kuni. He came under the guise of a business venture. Then the violence began, and in no time at all, he'd taken over our entire marine transportation and shipping industry, and we were all under his thumb! Gatô now has a stronghold on all form of transportation, the lifeblood of an island nations, and a stronghold on all the wealth... The only thing he has to fear is that which has been underway for some time... the completion of that bridge!"

"As the architect of the bridge and overseer of its construction, you, Tazuna-san, are very much in his way," Sakura noted as she held her chin.

"That means... that the ninja who attacked us were working for Gatô," Uchiha concluded.

Uzumaki-kun was just standing there with a dumb look on his face.

"But... I still don't understand... If you knew you were the target of a ruthless thug with ninja at his disposal, why didn't you tell us that when you asked for help?" Kakashi-sensei questioned.

"Didn't you hear what he said, sensei?" I asked seriously as I kept my eyes on the old man. "Gatô holds the wealth. One must pay for the mission, especially escort missions. A mission like this would be B-Rank, maybe A-Rank depending on what enemies we'll have to face. It's much more than that land can afford."

"That's right. Nami no Kuni isn't a real prosperous land. Even our local lords are poor... And I have no money at all. An elite, B-Ranked bodyguard would be a lot more than I could afford," Tazuna-san explained. "But if you all turn away from me now... Then I'm as good as dead. But..." The old man put on a really fake smile. "But oh well! That's not your concern! You won't be there to see my daughter and ten-year-old grandson cry all day like their hearts are breaking! Oh, and you won't mind if my daughter vows eternal hatred of all ninja of your village as she lives her life all alone! Heck! Well, it's not your fault!"

I looked around and saw that none of my teammates actually cared about his little guilt-trip story. I forced myself not to smirk as I looked back at Tazuna-san.

"Well... I suppose it can't be helped. We'll continue to protect you, at least until you return to your country," Kakashi-sensei said with a shrug before grumbling under his breath, "This is the worst Mission-for-Hire of all time."

I bit my lower lip to keep in my snickers. I was smacked my Sakura and released a small chuckle. I turned towards her with a large grin and shakily pointed towards our teacher. "I-it's not my fault..."

She elbowed my ribs, which make me keel over.

I couldn't help it and burst out laughing as I held my throbbing side. "You're such an ass! Hahaha! I'm going to fucking kill you! This hurts so bad!" I was really weird when I was in pain.

Let's just move on until later...

I was sitting between Uchiha and Kakashi-sensei, laying really. I had my eyes closed and had steadied my breathing. I really wanted a nap.

"Wow. This is some fog. I can barely see a thing," Sakura said, her voice filled with awe.

"We'll be able to see the bridge in a minute. On the other side of it is Nami no Kuni," the boat rower explained softly.

In a few seconds, Uzumaki-kun was loudly voicing his amazement with a, "Whoa! It's huuuge!"

"Hey! Keep it down!" The boat driver hissed. "This mist'll keep us hidden. But from this point on, we have to turn off our engines and row. We'd be in big trouble if Gatô caught us."

"Ren would have hit you if he were awake," Sakura teased Uzumaki-kun softly.

"He drew on my face the other day, and I looked so stupid. I still have a few things on my forehead," Uzumaki-kun complained.

Kakashi-sensei gently patted my head as if giving me approval for my prank.

"Apparently, he has low blood pressure, and that makes him a bit mean when he hasn't eaten for a while. That's why he always carries around those really sugary snack bars and juice boxes," Sakura explained to the others.

Kakashi-sensei hummed softly before turning his gaze towards me. "The two of you are twins right? Do you have the same thing?"

"You guys are twins?" Uzumaki-kun blurted out with great shock.

"Of course we are, idiot," Sakura snapped at the blonde.

"But- but! You have pink hair and green eyes. Ren has white hair and yellow eyes," Uzumaki-kun objected

"They're amber," Sakura corrected before sighing. "And we're fraternal twins, not identical ones."

"Uh... What?" Uzumaki-kun asked stupidly.

"It means they were born at the same time, but have different looks," Uchiha explained.

"Oh..." Uzumaki-kun said slowly.

"I can't believe you some times," Sakura mumbled under her breath.

"We'll be there soon," the boatman interjected, "Tazuna-san... So far, it looks like we've been overlooked... Just to be on the safe side, we'll take an inland waterway through town to a point where we can make landfall under the cover of mangroves."

"Thank you," Tazuna-san said sincerely.

As the boat made it into the town, Uzumaki-kun voiced his amazement yet again. "Ohhh... Wowww!"

"We should wake up Ren now," Sakura said before someone shook me gently.

"I'm trying to get a nap, dammit. I've only been asleep for like, five minutes," I grumbled in order to make it seem like I wasn't eavesdropping as I swatted at the hand.

"You've been asleep for at least half an hour," Kakashi-sensei said, a smirk in his voice.

I didn't reply for a few moments. When I did, I shot up and looked all around me. "Where the hell are we?"

Sakura gave a small giggle as she looked away.

"We're in Nami no Kuni now, Ren," Kakashi-sensei said after sighing.

"Oh... Why the hell didn't someone wake me up earlier?" I hissed as I ran a hand through my hair. I then patted it down and began to wipe my face. "I didn't drool, did I?"

"You did, actually," Kakashi-sensei lied as he pointed to my lower chin.

I rubbed it for a few moments before asking, "Is it gone?"

He hummed as he leaned closer. He then shook his head. "No, it's not."

I released a small whine as I rubbed at my face again. I then looked at Kakashi-sensei pleadingly. "Please tell me it's gone now."

Kakashi-sensei narrowed his eye for a moment before saying, "There's a little bit-"

"Yes, it's gone," Uchiha piped up.

I gave a small sigh of relief before I began to fix up my clothes.

Kakashi-sensei huffed, clearly annoyed that his source of entertainment was gone. Man, that guy could be an asshole when he wanted to.

"Okay, do I look good?" I asked Uzumaki-kun.

He gave a nod of approval.

"Great," I said as I began stretching.

We soon arrived to shore, and were dropped off.

"This is as far as I go," the boatman said to Tazuna-san. "Take care of yourself."

"Thanks for taking such a risk. I shouldn't have asked it," Tazuna-san replied with a kind smile.

And with that, the boatman departed.

"Okay! Now, if I could just make it home in one piece..." Tazuna-san trailed off.

"Yeah, yeah," Kakashi-sensei said with a tiny bit of defeat.

I internally chuckled as I began to walk along. I'm nice and rested! I can take on whatever comes towards me now!

I totally wasn't ready for what happened next...


	4. Chapter Four

Uzumaki-kun sprung ahead of everyone else and looked both ways. He suddenly pulled out a shuriken and threw it at nearby bushes. "Over there!"

I stared at him blankly as my heart thumped violently against my chest.

"I... uh, guess it was only a mouse," Uzumaki-kun said as he tried to play off his error.

"What mouse?! Are you out of your mind?! There's nothing there, you moron!" Sakura scolded loudly.

"Please..." Kakashi-sensei said as he motioned for Uzumaki-kun to calm down. He was sweating as he continued on nervously, "Please don't play around with your shuriken. They can be just a teensy bit dangerous!"

"Hey! Midget! Don't go scaring us! Stop messing with our heads!" Tazuna-san yelled angrily.

Uzumaki-kun, being Uzumaki-kun, ignored the scoldings and kept looking out for danger.

I gave a small sigh before looking towards the sky. "Kami-sama, give me the strength to not strangle my teammate."

Uzumaki-kun then threw a different shuriken towards a different bush.

Sakura punched the boy's head as she yelled out, "I told you to quit it!"

I gave a sigh at their banter before looking around the trees. My eyes caught sight of some weird shine, but I kept looking around as if I hadn't seen anything. I then went over to Kakashi-sensei and pointed towards the thing in the trees as inconspicuously as possible.

He blinked once at me, before his black eye moved towards that area.

I knelt down to see the unconscious snow hare and slowly inched towards my teammates, mainly my sister.

Kakashi-sensei suddenly turned around and yelled out, "Everyone take cover!"

I pulled my teammate, Uzumaki-kun, down to the ground with Sakura before looking over at the new foe. I quickly pulled out a kunai and got prepared for the battle.

"Well, well... If it isn't Momochi Zabuza, the kid who ran off and left the Village Hidden in the Mist," Kakashi-sensei said as he glared up at the man.

Said man stood on the handle of his large sword as he looked down at us. He had black and white cow-print-like arm warmers and leg-warmers that went up to just below his knees. He had striped pants that went up to his bellybutton area as well as a black thing that was most likely used to hold his giant sword on his back.

Great. We're all going to die. If Kakashi-sensei knows the guy, than surely he's in a bingo book. I hope he's not an S-Rank Criminal, I thought worriedly as I inched slowly towards Tazuna-san and my sister.

Uzamaki-kun took a few steps forwards, but was stopped by Kakashi-sensei.

"Don't interfere. Give me room. This one is on a different plane from our previous opponents," Kakashi-sensei ordered before lifting his hand up to his headband. He grabbed ahold of it above his left eye and said, "This may be a little rough."

"Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye, I presume?" Momochi questioned.

My head snapped around to my teacher as my brain nearly stopped computing. I couldn't believe that someone without the Uchiha surname had a sharingan.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble... Could you surrender the old man?" Momochi questioned.

"Assume the manji battle formation! Protect Tazuna-san... All of you stay out of the fight. That's the kind of teamwork this situation demands," Kakashi-sensei said before he began to lift up his headband. "And now... Zabuza..."

"Oh...!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he stared up at Kakashi-sensei's left eye.

"Shall we?" Kakashi-sensei asked with the utmost seriousness.

"Ahh... To face the legendary sharingan eye so early in our acquaintance..." Momochi said as he looked down with some amusement.

"You keep calling it sharingan! Sharingan! What is it?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at Kakashi-sensei.

"Shinobi who have the sharingan eye have mastered a form of ocular ninjutsu. It enables them to penetrate and see the reality behind any genjutsu or ninjutsu, and to reflect the power of the jutsu they penetrate back on those who cast them! A sharingan eye is one of several types used by the masters... and there's more," Uchiha explained.

"Like what?" Uzumaki-kun asked eagerly.

"Heh heh... Exactly," Momochi said before explaining what he knew, "There is indeed more. Most formidable of all is the acuity with which the sharingan can discern and then duplicate its opponent's greatest skill. When I was an assassin for Kirigakure, I possessed the usual bingo book - a kind of who's who of our enemies. It had quite the extensive write-up on you... including your impressive record... The man who penetrated and copied over a thousand different ninjutsus... Kakashi the Sharingan Ninja."

"H-he's the best!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

But... I don't get how he could have a sharingan if it only belongs to the Uchiha Clan. As far as I was concerned, members of the Uchiha Clan refuse to date others outside of their own clan. There's no way some woman ran off with Kakashi-sensei's father and had a child without my sensei having to change his last name to Uchiha when he was a child. And then, well, he probably would have been raised as an Uchiha and been killed by Itachi-senpai. I just don't get it... I thought as I stared at my teacher.

"Enough. As pleasant as this conversation has been, the time for talk is over. I'm on a very tight schedule to polish off the old man," Momochi said as he crouched down.

I took to the back of Tazuna-san as Sakura took my left and Uzumaki-kun took my right.

Uchiha, meanwhile, took the front of the old man.

We all had kunais drawn.

"But... It looks like I'm going to have to kill you first Kakashi," Momochi noted aloud before pulling his sword on the tree. He kicked off of the tree before landing on top of the water. He held his left arm up with his index finger and middle finger up. His right hand was just below his nose, his index finger and middle finger up as well.

His sword was placed on his back.

The water began to swirl up around him as mist began to cause him to disappear.

"Over there!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

"Is he... walking on water?!" Sakura yelled.

I refused to turn around as I kept my eyes ahead of me.

"The finest of the ninjutsu... The Kirigakure no Jutsu," Momochi said before the mist overtook him.

"He's gone!" Sakura exclaimed.

"He will come after me first... Momochi Zabuza of the Kirigakure Assassin Corps is a famous master of the art of silent killing. Letting your guard down around him buys you a direct trip to heaven. I haven't necessarily mastered every aspect of the sharingan eye, so all of you need to stay on your toes!" Kakashi-sensei said.

"What's with this fog?" Uzumaki-kun asked as the mist finally reached us.

"There are eight points," Momochi said, his voice carrying clearly through the mist.

"What? Wha... What was that?!" Sakura questioned nervously.

Don't... move... I thought with my eyes closed and my ears open. Just... listen...

"Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidneys, heart... So many choices... What vital, vulnerable place shall I choose?" Momochi gave a chuckle before his bloodlust began to ooze out towards us.

Kakashi-sensei suddenly released his own as he began to channel his chakra.

I heard my teammates gasp and thought that I felt their twitches. I felt something began to shake at my back. I thought it was Tazuna-san for a moment, but I quickly realized that it was Uchiha. Shit! He's giving our location away.

"Sasuke," Kakashi-sensei called out, "Calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you." Kakashi-sensei turned his head back towards us and said, "I will never let my comrades die!"

I felt my heart swell at that, but refused to make an obvious move.

"I wouldn't bet on that..." Momochi said threateningly before appearing between Sakura and Uchiha, and Tazuna-san. "Game over."

Kakashi-sensei quickly moved towards our group. He stabbed Momochi in the stomach with a kunai, causing everyone to move away from the two.

I, who was behind Tazuna-san, sat up immediately and made sure that my kunai wouldn't harm either of us. I quickly noticed that water leaked out of Momochi's wound instead of blood. A... mizu bunshin?

A second Momochi appeared behind Kakashi-sensei. With quick movement, the second Momochi swung his large head-cleaver at Kakashi-sensei.

With a gasp and a point, Uzumaki-kun yelled out, "Sensei! Behind you!"

As Momochi's mizu bunshin turned into water, the second Momochi managed to cut Kakashi-sensei clean in half.

Sakura rightfully screamed, but quickly shut up as the man's blood turned into water.

"Don't move," Kakashi-sensei demanded threateningly as he put a kunai to Momochi's neck. "Game over."

"Awesome!" Uzumaki-kun cheered.

Sakura gave a gleeful giggle.

Momochi soon gave his own chuckle. "You think it's over? You just don't get it... It will take more to defeat me than mimicking me like an ape. A lot more."

Kakashi-sensei didn't give a reply.

Momochi laughed a few more times. "But you are good! In that short time, you duplicated my mizu bunshin jutsu. And by making your bunshin say something you'd have said yourself, you ensured all my attention would be focused on it while you yourself hid away in the mist, watching my every move! Too bad for you..."

My eyes widened as Momochi appeared behind him.

"I am not that easy to fool!" Momochi said as his mizu bunshin turned into water.

"Zabuza was a mizu bunshin too!" Uzumaki-kun yelled out.

Kakashi-sensei didn't get to even turn around all of the way before having to drop the ground to escape his would-be death.

Momochi dug his sword into the ground before using his momentum to kick Kakashi-sensei all the way to the nearby body of water. Momochi easily pulled his sword from the ground, but stopped once he realized caltrops were all over the ground. "Foolishness!" He yelled before appearing on top of the water. He quickly made several handsigns as he said, "Hah! Gullible fool!"

Kakashi-sensei was brought up from the main body of water. He was held in a ball of water that was kept in place by the chakra from Momochi's arm.

Momochi laughed before saying, "That prison is inescapable. You're trapped. You running around free makes it too hard for me to do my job. I'll finish you later, after I've dealt with all the others..." He made a mizu bunshin to come after Tazuna-san and my team.

Shit. Should we retreat? No. Kakashi-sensei is captured. We can't do anything without him. We're just genin! We can't take down an ex-assassin! I thought nervously.

Momochi's bunshin chuckled. "Little ninja wannabe - training so hard to fit in, you even wear a hitai-ate headband. But a true shinobi is one who has crossed and recrossed the barriers between the lands of the living and the dead. Clothes don't make a shinobi. You need skills good enough to rate a listing in my bingo book of enemies before you deserve to be called ninja. We don't call your kind "ninja". We call them..."

As his clone kicked Uzumaki-kun, causing the poor boy to spit out blood in surprise, my body moved all on its own. "Great..." I muttered as I stared down at the puddle of water below my feet.

Momochi looked at me in surprise before giving a chuckle. "So you have a skilled brat in your little team, huh Kakashi?"

"Ren! Grab Naruto and just run!" Kakashi-sensei yelled at me.

I looked up at Momochi blankly. "Great..."

"Now!" The silvernette demanded.

Momochi made two more mizu bushins and sent them both after me.

I gave a small sigh before kicking Uzumaki-kun's headband behind me. I internally prayed he got the message to get his ass in gear as I pulled out four pieces of paper and four kunais. "Great..."

"Sasuke!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at the black-eyed boy.

Uchiha quickly retreated as I threw my papers and kunais.

I quickly made a few hand signs before slamming my hands into the ground. "Admittedly, this is only made for one person. Containing two is significantly harder, and it takes up much more chakra. I can really only hold it for thirty seconds. However..."

Momochi gave a chuckle as his clones were only halfway immobilized. "You're very sure of yourself. But... Do you really think you stand a chance against me?"

"What's the matter with you? I told you to run! It's over...! It was over the second he caught me! You have to do your duty, keep that in mind. We're here to protect Tazuna-san!" Kakashi-sensei yelled angrily.

Uzumaki-kun asked softly, "Ojii-chan?"

"What?" Tazuna-san questioned. "Let's face facts. The truth is, I got us into this mess by lying. I've had a real long life, and it would be wrong to let you five kids get yourselves killed trying to save me. So you go ahead... Give this fight everything you've got."

Uchiha released a small, but pleased, "Hmph. So that's it!"

"Are you ready for this?" Uzumaki-kun chirped happily.

"Alright! Now that you've gotten permission, please kill these fucking bunshins so I don't waste all of my chakra!" I spat out angrily.

Uchiha grunted before throwing two kunais through the heads of the clones.

My seals immediately went towards me, the closest thing towards them. I pulled my hands off of the ground quickly to prevent my chakra from keeping them from moving. I made sure every single seal went back to their own piece of paper before collecting them quickly, along with my kunai.

Momochi gave a laugh. "Apparently you don't care whether you get any older!"

"What?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

"Playing at being a ninja like it's a child's game... I, however..." His hand twitched before he brought it up. "...by the time I was your age, had already dyed these hands in my enemies' blood..."

"The demon Zabuza..." Kakashi-sensei said as he glared at the other man.

"It would seem my reputation has proceeded me," Momochi noted.

"Long ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist - also known as the "Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist"... The final step towards becoming a full-fledged ninja was the most inhumanly difficult test imaginable," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"So... You've heard about our little graduation exercise," Momochi mused as he looked down at Kakashi-sensei.

"Graduation exercise...?" Uzumaki-kun questioned.

Momochi chuckled darkly in reply.

"Wh-what graduation exercise?" Uzumaki-kun pressed.

Momochi simply chuckled even more.

My grip tightened on my kunai as I internally wished that I was a few steps back.

"It's a kind of "killing spree" among classmates," Momochi explained. "Students who'd been friends, eating from the same dish, as undergrads were divided into pairs who were forced to fight against each other... to the death. Think of it. Comrades who had trained together, lived together, shared each other's every hope and dream..."

"Ten years ago, the elders of the Village Hidden in the Mist were forced to enact a sweeping reform of their barbaric ritual because of the appearance, during the previous year, of a human fiend who made reform essential," Kakashi-sensei explained, clearly hinting at what Momochi did.

How many people did this sick fuck kill for fun? I thought nervously as my toes curled slightly. I felt sweat roll down the back of my neck as my knuckles turned white.

"What kind of reform?" Sakura asked, only to get no reply. Therefore, she pressed on with a, "What are you talking about? What did the fiend you're talking about do?"

"Without a moment of hesitation, without any hint of a qualm, a boy who hadn't even qualified yet as a ninja butchered over a hundred members of that year's graduating class," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"Ah, yes. Good times... I used to have such fun," Momochi said gleefully as he looked towards the sky. He then looked down, at Uchiha and Uzumaki-kun.

Before I could blink, a clone, that I had no recollection of him making, passed me by to elbow Uchiha. I refused to turn around, even as I heard Uchiha get slammed into the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed.

Kakashi-sensei visibly shook before he made eye-contact with me. He looked at me with horror as I had clenched my teeth. "Ren!"

I refused to look up as I felt my impending doom behind me. I didn't move a muscle. I couldn't risk it.

"If I were in the mist, I would have thought you disappeared," Momochi said as he leaned down over me. "How'd you get so good?"

Saku... Saku... Saku... I internally chanted as the thought of black lotuses consumed my mind.

"Move! Now Ren!" Kakashi-sensei screamed at me.

"Ren!" Sakura yelled, horror filling her voice.

I only turned half of my body around and stabbed the clone right through its eye. I used the majority of my arm strength to drive it through its head and turn it back into water. Blood turned to water and ran down my face as my grip on my kunai kept loosening and tightening.

"R-Ren...?" Sakura asked shakily as I kept my eyes on the ground.

"Great. Great. Great. Great," I mumbled as I managed to keep my footsteps silent. I looked up at the remaining bunshin of Momochi with great anger.

It quickly swung its sword at me, irritation clear in its eyes.

I moved forwards and easily stabbed it in the chest. I slid my kunai through its chest before making a few handsigns. "Saku: Kuro no Hasu."

The mizu bunshin released a small shriek before turning into water silently.

I turned around and began to approach Momochi silently. "Blooming blooming lotuses~. Black as the moonless night. Silently silently..." I looked the man in the eyes with a large grin. "Kill off all the enemies..."

Sakura quickly came up from behind me and gave a hard punch to the head. "Stop singing that damn song!"

I stopped my movement towards Momochi. I instead turned around quickly and looked into my sister's green eyes.

"Ren! Stop!" Kakashi-sensei yelled pleadingly.

I hugged my sister tightly and squealed as I rubbed my cheek against hers. "I love you, too~!"

"Get off of me, you lunatic!" Sakura yelled as she pushed my face away.

I felt the bones in my spine pop and hurt slightly. I gave a laugh before she finally managed to push me off. I flopped over and giggled as I rolled around the ground.

Uchiha, meanwhile, had apparently jumped into the air before throwing a large shuriken towards Momochi's real body. In that shuriken's shadow was another shuriken.

Momochi caught the first and then jumped over the second. He didn't expect the second to transform back into Uzumaki-kun and got his face cut while dodging the kunai aimed at his head. He pulled his hand out of the sphere holding Kakashi-sensei and was immediately enraged. As he went after Uzumaki-kun, Kakashi-sensei got in the way.

That look that Kakashi-sensei held made it clear to everyone that he was pissed. He wasn't going to dick around anymore, that much was certain.

I lifted my head up off the ground and gave a big sigh as I felt the majority of my energy, and chakra, was depleted. "My job's done." I then proceeded to just flop over onto my face. "Nap time..."

"Get up, you fool. Can't you see the battle is still going on?" Uchiha hissed as he kicked my back rather hard.

I released a small groan before saying, "Kick me harder~r."

He made a small noise of disgust and just left me there.

I waited patiently for him to come back and kick me again, but was met with nothing. So, I got my ass back up and walked over to my group. Well, I only just started walking actually.

Once I got about halfway there, water picked me up and slammed me into a tree. Me, being me, groaned happily in pleasure before discomfort actually began to run through my nerves. I was dropped back down to the ground a few seconds later, thankfully, and finished my walk over to my teammates and Tazuna-san.

"Are you okay?!" Sakura asked worriedly as she saw blood coming out of my nose and the corners of my mouth.

"That tree felt amazing," I replied with a large grin, my thumb up in approval.

She gave me a blank expression before sighing. "You're still messed up, so I guess you're fine..."

I gave a chuckle before turning my attention towards Kakashi-sensei and Momochi. "I bet 1,000 yen Momochi gets away."

"I don't do bets," Sakura said as she looked away from me.

Yeah, with me, I thought.

Uchiha looked at me suspiciously before agreeing to take up the bet.

1,000 yen, welcome yourself into my wallet! I internally cheered before watching two needles pierce through Momochi's neck.

"I'd like my money," Uchiha said, a smirk in his voice.

I internally cursed out the almighty Uchiha Duckass as I managed to scrap together 1,000 yen. I handed it over to him and stomped over to the dead body, Kakashi-sensei, and the... tracker...?

"Heh heh... Your prediction came true," the tracker said as... he...? stood on top of a tall branch of a nearby tree. Its gender was very hard to determine, especially considering how hints of femininity and masculinity mixed together to create very confusing suggestions about the kid.

Kakashi-sensei quickly moved down to the dead body of Momochi and checked the man's neck. He then silently looked up at the tracker.

Said person gave a small bow. "Thank you for your help. I hope you don't mind my interfering, but I wanted the satisfaction... of putting Zabuza out of his misery myself!"

"The mask is familiar... Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you a Shinobi Hunter from the Village Hidden in the Mist?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Well, aren't you the smart one?" The tracker asked with a small hint of malice.

"A tracker?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he quickly dashed before us.

I smacked the back of the boy's head. "Idiot. He's a member of the elite tracking unit from the Village Hidden in the Mist. It's his, and the other trackers', responsibility - and their art - to hunt down and deal with the rouges and outlaws that come from their villages."

"That's correct," the tracker said, a bit pleased, as he turned his attention towards me. "Do you happen to know what else we may be called?"

"In our village, you'd be identified as ANBU Black Ops," I replied honestly. I received a nod of approval, but didn't feel as good about it as I usually did.

Uzumaki-kun took a few steps forwards before he began to look between Momochi and the tracker. He suddenly pointed up at the tracker and yelled out, "What's going on here?! Who are you?!"

"Relax Naruto. He's not an enemy," Kakashi-sensei said as he stood up and began to walk towards the blonde.

"That's not what I asked! I mean- What I mean is, he killed Zabuza, who isn't exactly a pushover, but still got taken out by a guy who's only about my age like it was nothing! What, do we suck or something?! What's up with that?!" Uzumaki-kun screamed.

"Oh. Well, you have my sympathy. I can see where a thing like that would be hard to accept. But it's a fact you'll have to live with." Kakashi-sensei patted Uzumaki-kun's head. "This probably won't be the last time we run into a kid who's younger than you and stronger than me."

Uzumaki-kun looked away with an embarrassed flush.

The tracker moved from his tree branch to Momochi's body. He put the arm of Momochi over his shoulder and said, "You battle is over, for now, and the remains must be disposed of lest they give up secrets to our foes. Well then, I must be off." He disappeared, leaving behind a few displaced leaves.

"He's gone!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes before realizing that my body felt too sluggish for me to really move around without more adrenaline. I internally cursed my low chakra reserves before looking over to Kakashi-sensei for what to do next.

The man sighed as he pulled his headband down over his left eye. "Now! We still have to escort Tazuna-san the rest of the way to his home. Let's put our best foot forward!"

Tazuna-san gave a laugh. "You poor kids. You must be humiliated! But never mind. You can lick your wounds at my house."

Kakashi-sensei began to take a step forwards, but began to fall down as his body finally gave out of him from chakra depletion.

I quickly moved and grabbed ahold of the man. I gently eased him to the ground before lifting my finger up. I moved my finger around in front of his black eye. At first, I moved it in a swirl slowly. I slowly picked up speed though and watched as Kakashi-sensei slowly settle himself down.

As soon as Kakashi-sensei closed his eye, Uzumaki-kun opened his mouth.

I put my hand up, interrupting him. I shrugged my backpack off before throwing it at the blonde. I pulled Kakashi-sensei's backpack off before throwing it at Uchiha. I then gently turned Kakashi-sensei around and held the man up. I took his wet and heavy chunin jacket off and threw it towards Sakura. I got between the man's legs and heaved the man up onto my back.

"You're carrying him?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

"Shut up," I said simply as I stared him in the eyes.

He flinched back before holding my backpack close to his chest.

"Let's go. He needs a bed and some rest," I said as I looked at Tazuna-san blankly.

The man gave a silent nod before beginning to lead us towards his house.

I followed after him, and my teammates covered me.

No enemies came after us as we made our way back to the man's house. We made good time thankfully, and soon made it back to Tazuna-san's house.

"Please excuse the intrusion," I muttered as my blurry eyesight focused a bit on the woman standing in the room.

"Tou-san! Who are these people?" The woman asked, her long, blue hair moving a bit.

"If you have an extra bed or futon, please get one ready," I said simply as I turned my eyes towards the man that had his head rested on my right shoulder.

"O-of course," the woman said as she quickly rushed off. "Please, follow me."

I made sure to follow after her as soon as I kicked my sandals off. I internally cursed out the gods as I forced myself to walk up the stairs. I felt tears prick my eyes as sleep began to take over the far parts of my body.

Thankfully, Kakashi-sensei managed to get into his futon before I got to collapse and fall into a deep slumber.


	5. Chapter Five

"Ren!" Sakura exclaimed as her older brother collapsed.

The boy didn't give any sort of reply as he laid still on top of his sensei.

Sakura quickly turned her brother over and forcibly opened his eyelids. She looked into the blank, amber eyes of Ren and immediately released a small whimper. "R-Ren?"

"Wh-what's wrong with him?" Naruto asked worriedly as he looked over the girl's shoulder.

Tsunami, the daughter of Tazuna, rushed to the boy's side and checked his heartbeat. She closed her eyes and focused on the steady rhythm. After a few long, tense, and silent moments, she sat up and smiled gently at the girl. "He's just asleep. He was probably too tired to stay away for any longer."

Sakura released a relieved sigh before she sat back a bit. "C-can you get a futon for my brother too?"

The woman chuckled before giving a nod. "Of course I can. Please give me a moment."

Sakura looked down at her brother worriedly before giving a deep sigh. You always do this... You push yourself too far, and you always fall flat. You never even realize it in the end...

"Good thing Haruno-kun is alright, huh?" Naruto asked with a bright smile.

Sakura ignored the boy.

Uchiha watched the scene quietly before looking towards his unconscious sensei.

Eventually, the three children and two adults cleared out of the room to do other things with their time.

The two slept peacefully for a while before Kakashi awoke from his slumber. The man silently looked around before spotting tuffs of white hair sticking out from under a blanket.

Ren was under that blanket curled into a ball. He had always slept in a ball, as it was something that made him feel safe at night. Though he preferred to sleep with his back faced towards the doorway if possible.

Kakashi reached over and pulled the blanket down until he could see the face of his student. He felt relieved that the boy was alive, especially after seeing Zabuza's clone only seconds away from killing Ren. He then paused to recall the way Ren had moved quickly and rather accurately with the use of his kunais.

Between Ren's blank frown and piercing amber eyes, he probably would have been a great assassin himself. Though at the age he was, it wasn't something that would be appropriate to approve.

Kakashi gave a sigh as he began to draw his hand back. As his hands brushed against the nerves behind Ren's ear, a purr entered his ears. The silver-haired man paused before rubbing his fingers on the spot again. His ears were filled with that purring noise once again.

Ren was purring like a cat! How had that not been discussed or discovered before, especially considering the amount of times his head had been patted by various members of the team?!

Kakashi had his eyes narrowed at the ceiling as many wonders filled his mind about the world he knew. Of course, he occupied his hand with petting the boy's secret spot, but it soon began to cramp up. He drew the hand back towards him and into the warmth of his futon.

Ren released a small whine before wriggling out of his futon. He shuffled across the cold ground and eventually snuggled up to Kakashi, desperate for the petting to continue.

Naturally, the man tried to scoot himself away from the boy, but he was grabbed with a great strength. He'd honestly rather not deal with a broken arm at that point in time, so he simply accepted his defeat silently and resumed petting the boy. He tried to slip away whilst petting the kid, but of course Ren wasn't having any of that bullshit.

Ren then managed to slip his way under the blankets of the futon, freaking Kakashi out.

In fairness to Kakashi, what semi-normal twenty-six-year-old man would want a twelve-year-old boy to sleep with them in their one-person futon? Not many if one were to be honest.

"Hey. Get off of me," Kakashi said softly as he tried to push Ren away.

Ren refused to budge. Rather, his grip only got tighter on Kakashi.

Kakashi tried once again to push the boy off, but only ended up hurting himself when Ren dug his nails into his side. He just gave up and laid there as he internally prayed that no one would walk in and assume he was a pedophile attacking his own student.

As the time passed by, Tsunami eventually came to check on the two males. As soon as she opened the door, she saw the sight of Kakashi, who had fallen back asleep somehow, with his left arm hooked around the sleeping boy curled up next to him. To Tsunami, it reminded her of her son and deceased husband whenever Inari felt scared. To a mother who knew of the odd mind of a child, it was nothing more than a boy searching for comfort and a helpful hand willing to give it out.

Good thing Tsunami was the one to check up on them, huh?

A few minutes after she left, Ren finally stirred to life. He didn't open his eyes right away. He instead enjoyed the warmth of whatever he was partially laying on. He was comfortable and really didn't want to move. A steady beat had filled his right ear, and he assumed that it was his heartbeat.

Kakashi, meanwhile, was on the very edge of being awake after hearing the door to his room slide close. It was habit really after his many years of being a shinobi.

When the beat picked up, Ren slowly cracked his eyes open in confusion. He only saw his white hair at first, but soon focused his eyes and saw an unfamiliar wall across from him. He looked down on the surface he was partially laying on blankly for a moment.

Kakashi-sensei gave a small yawn as he decided to just settle down back to sleep.

That's when Ren's eyes shot wide open. The boy lifted his head up and shakily looked down at the person he was laying on. He felt horror run through his system at the realization that he had slept on his sensei without a care in the world.

Of course, Kakashi noticed the weight being lifted off his chest and cracked open his eye to look down. His eye met the wide ones of Ren, and he remained silent for a moment.

Ren, in turn, also remained silent. He just stared as his face slowly heated up with embarrassment. After a few long moments of silence, Ren finally squeaked out, "I-I'm very sorry..."

Kakashi merely let out a small breath through his nose and closed his eye again. "I've gotten used to it."

Ren released a choked noise of surprise. He looked around for anyone else before just moving his way back to his futon. He proceeded to bury himself in the covers and silently scream.

Sakura decided that she didn't fully trust Tsunami's judgement and went to check for herself. She opened the door quietly and looked at the two males. She looked closer at Ren and felt a bit irked upon realizing that her bother was in a ball wiggling around. "Oi, Ren..."

Ren sat up and saluted, "Yes?"

Sakura quickly ran over and kicked her brother across his face.

The white-haired boy released a pleased groan as he sprawled across the ground.

"Sakura, please don't kick your brother that hard right after he woke up," Kakashi said as he cracked open his eye to look at the pinkenette.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're awake!" Sakura exclaimed, gaining the attention of everyone downstairs.

As everyone rushed upstairs to see the teacher, Ren drifted back off to sleep. He was a growing boy that needed his rest after all.


	6. Chapter Six

I mind as well just dance the dance

Before I turn a completely ashen color.

Strike me and let it ring.

Change me, just change me

Until I fall into a deep sleep.

At this rate, snatch it, just snatch it

Exposing all of these lies that I've tamed.

Through this feverishly clouded mind of mine,

I've been looking at a false image.

I've been looking straight into a mirror.

"Wake up!"

I felt a foot slam itself into my rib-cage and released a chuckle. "I am awake~."

"Then sit up."

"Mkay lil' sis~," I cooed as I sat up. I opened my left eye and smirked at my teammates. "Morning-"

"It's the middle of the afternoon, you idiot!" Sakura yelled as her fist glided across my face. She was the kind of person that demonstrated her frustrated love through physical violence, especially with me. She knew me best after all.

I released a small chuckle mixed in with a groan as I looked ahead of me.

"I think that's enough messing around with Ren's brain," Kakashi-sensei called out to my sister.

"Please, mess around with my brain some more," I said as I adjusted myself so that I could sit in a more comfortable position.

Sakura then turned her attention towards our teacher.

A woman, Tsunami-san, put her hands on her hips as she looked down at Kakashi-sensei. "Are you alright sensei? Boy?"

I pursed my lips slightly at being called boy, but quickly brushed it aside to get Kakashi-sensei's answer.

"No, but I will be..." He paused for a moment before adding, "...In about a week..."

"The sharingan eye is an incredible power, but doesn't the strain it puts on your body make you wonder if it's worth it?!" Sakura asked worriedly.

Tazuna-san gave a chuckle as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "This time, you took down your strongest opponent yet, so we can probably relax for a while."

"I can't get my mind off of that masked kid..." Sakura admitted as she held her chin.

"That mask is worn by the most elite and secret ninja from Kirigakure. The trackers all wear them. Their unit is code-named the "Undertaker Squad" because they dispose of corpses so thoroughly, it's as though they never existed," Kakashi-sensei explained, "Even after death, a shinobi's corpse may yield up its secrets, exposing the secrets of the skills it had mastered as well as retaining the aura of the chakras it was steeped in in the ninja's native lands. Even the ingredients of any drugs that body consumed become an open book. In the same way, when I die, if an enemy were to take possession on my remains, the corpse would reveal all the anatomical idiosyncrasies unique to possessors of the sharingan. In the worst case, the enemy might gain enough information to be able to duplicate and master that power. Ninja corpses tell too many tales. Basically, shinobi hunters specialize in tracking down and eliminating rouge ninja and obliterating their remains in order to protect the secrets of their home village from the rest of the world. Silently and without a trace. That's how ninja leave the world."

"So Zabuza's corpse will be dismembered and destroyed? That's so creepy!" Sakura exclaimed.

I gave a small hum before realizing that Kakashi-sensei had used up all of the strength he had discussing that with us. I gave a small sigh at the sleeping man before shuffling around in my bed. I wince for a moment before pulling up my shirt. "Oh wow. I wouldn't be surprised if I have a few cracked ribs."

Sakura looked over at me with slight annoyance before her look morphed into horror. "Y-your chest... It's all..."

Large scratch marks and bruises covered my chest, most likely from me being thrown into that tree and kept there by the massive force of water that Kakashi-sensei used on Momochi.

"It'll heal," I said with a small shrug before pulling my shirt down.

"Let me get some bandages for you," Tsunami-san said before taking her leave.

"Thank you very much," I said with a small bow of my head.

As she was gone, it looked as though Kakashi-sensei couldn't get any peace in his dreams. It was as though his thoughts were running around rampant, creating horrid scenarios that may come to pass. Just when it looked as though he'd calm down, his eye shot open.

Uzumaki-kun and my sister jolted away from the man, horrified that he'd awoken so suddenly. They released small shrieks as they did so.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei, are you awake?" Tsunami-san asked as she came over with some bandages in hand.

"You idiot! Don't be such a klutz! We almost got to see what's under the mask!" Sakura hissed softly at Uzumaki-kun.

Tsunami-san gave me the bandages I required as Kakashi-sensei sat up.

The man put a hand on his face as his eye was narrowed. He eventually dropped his hand down to his chin as he looked around.

"What's wrong Kakashi-sensei?" Uzumaki-kun finally asked.

Kakashi-sensei put his hand over his eye and gave a hum. "Of course..." He dropped his hand down and gave it a small wave to help him with his words to get the point across. "The trackers who manage corpse disposals are supposed to destroy the bodies of those they kill at once, right on the spot."

"So what?" Sakura questioned.

"Don't you get it? How did the kid in the mask dispose of Zabuza's corpse?" Kakashi-sensei asked, making me start to grin.

"Huh?" Sakura muttered before giving a shrug. "How should I know? He took the body with him."

"Yes, he did... Even though all he needed to take home as proof he'd made the kill was the head!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed before adjusting his hitai-ate. "And... There is a mystery surrounding the weapons that the tracker used to dispatch his prey..."

Uchiha took a moment to realize the truth in the matter before exclaiming, "No way!"

"Yes... way," Kakashi-sensei said seriously.

"What type of nonsense are you all rambling on about?" Tazuna-san questioned.

"That it's likely Zabuza is still alive!" Kakashi-sensei finally said, clear as crystal.

I gave a loud laugh before jerking my hand out towards Uchiha. "Someone owes me ¥2,000, right now! Pay up Duckass!"

"Don't call Sasuke-kun "Duckass"!" Sakura yelled as she punched my head.

"I'll call him whatever I want! He gambled with me and lost!" I yelled back before turning my attention back to Uchiha. "Pay your debt Uchiha! Every day it's late, it'll be a 100% interest added!"

"Whoa! Isn't that a little absurd?" Kakashi-sensei asked me with wide eyes.

"Hah?" I asked as I looked over at the man with a large grin. "What's so absurd about that? Debt is debt, don't you know? In this world, money is the key to everything! Doesn't the situation we're in with Gatô tell you anything about the power of money?! And in any case, my interest rates are based on the amount of money owed times how much someone will typically have stashed away. Since Uchiha is, well, an Uchiha, I'm sure he's still got a bunch of money left over. He'll be able to afford the interest, at least for now..." I gave a dark chuckle before a bunch of money was thrown into my face.

"There, now shut it," Uchiha barked at me.

I saluted before gathering up all the money and counting it up. I grinned at the ¥2,000 that was now in my possession. I slipped it away into my wallet for later before turning my attention to the nervous Tazuna-san. "Oh, right. Sorry about betting on your safety and all, but I had a serious gut feeling that Momochi would live."

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Uzumaki-kun finally yelled out.

"But Kakashi-sensei, you checked to make sure Zabuza was dead, didn't you?!" Sakura yelled right afterwards.

"The tools that the masked kid used are senbon, also known as acupuncture needles. There are vulnerable areas in the neck to put a person in a deathlike trance. Surely Momochi's neck would be the easiest to target, especially when it comes to how muscular he is. You see, a deathlike trance could have created a very convincing illusion of the real thing, especially with the use of those needles," I explained to my teammates.

"Er... No offence Haruno-kun, but how do you know this?" Uzumaki-kun asked hesitantly.

"Ever since I was young, the human body interested me. I wanted to become a medical nin at one point in time, so I studied all I could about the human body and the many systems that make it up," I explained lazily, leaving out several very important details.

"Just as Ren had hinted, those acupuncture needle weapons that trackers use can be deadly if they hit a vital spot. If not, the mortality rate is surprisingly low. And remember, they were originally designed as medical treatment tools. Trackers and all members of any village's corpse disposal squad must possess an intimate and thorough knowledge of human psychology. It would be simple for one of them to place a person into a near-death state," Kakashi-sensei explained, "First of all, the masked boy went through the trouble of lugging off Zabuza's heavy carcass. Secondly, the senbon he used as weapons, while potentially deadly, can also be used to inflict non-mortal injury. These two points suggest that the kid's objective was to give the illusion of killing Zabuza while he rescued him. Things may be just the way they seemed... But we have to consider the other possibility."

"Aren't you just complicating things by overthinking them?" Tazuna-san questioned. "Trackers are supposed to hunt outlaw shinobi, right?"

"Uuusually..." Kakashi-sensei replied before adding, "But ignoring something that smells this fishy is a great first step to being caught completely unprepared, and preparation is a shinobi's most important skill!"

"I thought that was the use of their brain," I piped up before turning to Uzumaki-kun. "Sorry about that, it was just the first thing to pop into my mind."

The blonde looked at me in confusion while everyone else held back their snickers at the poor idiot. Even that Duckass bit his bottom lip to bite back any noises.

"Oh well!" Kakashi-sensei said, catching everyone's attention again. "Whether Zabuza is dead or alive, there may still be more and even deadlier ninja in the service of your enemy, Gatô."

Uzumaki-kun began to shiver with a large grin on his face. He was excited and pumping for the chance to face Momochi, and most probably the masked kid, again.

"Sensei! You said "preparation is a shinobi's most important skill," but right now you can't even move. What are you going to do?" Sakura asked.

The man gave a chuckle before replying, "I'm going to increase your training schedule!"

"Permission to pass?" I asked with my hand raised up.

He reached his hand over and karate chopped my head. "Permission denied."

"Ah man," I mumbled as I rubbed my head.

"What? Training...?" Sakura asked in surprise before angrily yelling out, "But Kakashi-sensei, what will a little extra training now matter with what we're up against?! Our opponent is a ninja so powerful that even with your Sharingan power, he almost defeated you!"

"And when I was beleaguered, Sakura, think about who it was that rescued me. All four of you are maturing, progressing rapidly, your powers growing exponentially... Especially yours Naruto!" Kakashi-sensei gave a smile to the blonde. "You've grown the most."

Uzumaki-kun gained a blush, making me bite back a comment about his possible (most definite) gayness.

"But that being said, the skills I teach you now will be an interim thing only to tide us over until I recover enough to take over," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"But sensei, even if Zabuza is alive, how can we just train without knowing when he may return and strike?!" Sakura questioned.

"Logically speaking, no matter how strong he is, recovering from a deathlike trance of that calibre would take some time. And let's not forget that he'll probably need to regain some motor skills from having his nerves messed with like that," I said with slight boredom.

"That's right, Ren," Kakashi-sensei praised.

"So we'll train while we're waiting! Could be fun!" Uzumaki-kun yelled excitedly.

"It won't be fun for you," a boy about the age of eight called out.

"Who the heck are you?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled out in some pathetic form of retaliation.

"Inari! Where have you been?!" Tazuna-san exclaimed as he held his arms out for a hug.

The boy kicked his sandals off before running over to Tazuna-san. "Welcome home Ojii-chan."

"Inari! Greet our guests properly! They're the esteemed ninja who brought your grandfather home safely!" Tsunami-san scolded.

Tazuna-san gave a chuckle as he patted the hat on the boy's head. "It's alright Inari. I treat them bad too."

Inari-kun glared at us before pointing and saying to Tsunami-san, "But Okaa-san, they're all gonna die."

Uzumaki-kun immediately jumped up. "Hey! Listen you twerp-"

"No one can beat Gatô and his men," Inari-kun muttered.

"You brat!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he began to pull up his right sleeve.

"Pull yourself together Naruto! He's just a little boy!" Sakura exclaimed as she held the boy back by his jacket.

"Right. Hey, pay attention little guy. I'm a superhero who'll someday become the best ninja. My name will be Hokage! Gatô? "Gâteau"? This guy's named "cake"! You seriously can't expect me to be afraid of that!" Uzumaki-kun declared in his usual dumbass, yet endearing manner.

Inari let out a huff. "Hero? You're dumb! There's no such thing!"

"Wh-what?!" Uzumaki-kun shrieked.

Sakura immediately grabbed the boy's head and arm to keep him at bay. "I said, quit it!"

Inari-kun turned heel before looking back over his shoulder at us. "If you don't wanna die, go home now."

"Where are you off to Inari?" Tazuna-san questioned as the boy reached the door.

"I'm going to watch the ocean front my room," Inari-kun answered before closing the door loudly behind himself.

"Please forgive him..." Tazuna-san finally said.

I gave a simple nod before turning my attention to the bandages that I still had to use. I decided to just pull my shirt off and carefully wrapped my chest, shoulders, neck, and part of my biceps just in case I needed it.

Uchiha looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes. "Hey Ren, that scar on your left collarbone... Where'd you get it?"

I hummed as my fingers lingered at that scar from over my bandages. "It's... complicated..."

He didn't look as though he would accept that answer.

I put my shirt on before motioning for the Uchiha boy to follow me. I walked outside and looked out at the ocean silently. "The night Itachi left, he gave it to me as some demented sort of parting gift... You remember how I'd always follow after him like a lost little duckling whenever he left the compound, right?"

Uchiha gave a hesitant nod.

"I held it against you for what he did, you know," I said as I shoved my hands into my pocket. "It was really stupid, but I just hated you because he left something behind that would remind me every day of what he did to me. I can easily forget about the scar if I covered it up with new ones, but I can't get rid of another person quite that easily..."

"How did you find him that late in the night?" Uchiha asked.

I looked down at my bare feet for a moment before sighing. "I really do have problems telling directions sometimes. That was one time where I ended up at the front gate instead of at my house. I found him covered in blood and immediately felt ready to piss myself. He tried to lie like any normal person at first, but he ended up telling me that he killed his clan... You survived though, and I don't really know why. A kid would have been easy to kill off in all honesty. In that regard, I probably would have ended up dead too..."

"I never knew..." Uchiha muttered.

"We never spoke of the... thing... before," I mumbled softly.

Uchiha didn't reply for a moment. He eventually just gave a small grunt before looking towards me. "Why do you think he did it?"

"I didn't know him personally really. I only knew a few things... I... I guess that when I was little, I came to the conclusion that he hated his clan and wanted to get rid of them all. I figured that because you were brothers, he spared you because he had at least a little bit of love and compassion for you, his little baby brother..." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly before looking to Uchiha for his reaction.

The black-eyed boy simply stared into the distance, his eyes rather blank.

I too looked into the distance as I ran my fingers over the crudely carved four-point pinwheel. "Hey... Do you remember Uchiha Shisui?"

"I don't remember very much, why?" Uchiha asked.

"His mangekyō sharingan... How did it look again?" I mumbled.

"I can't remember," Uchiha replied before looking at me curiously. "What's a... mangekyō sharingan?"

"From what I can remember from Itachi's very brief explanation, the mangekyou sharingan is the next step after the normal, three-tomoe sharingan. Supposedly, only a handful of Uchihas have managed to activate their mangekyou sharingan through witnessing the loss of someone close to them," I explained as I looked him in the eyes. I then poked him right above his right eye. "Using it too much can cause blindness."

He swatted my hand away from his head. "It won't cause blindness if you poke my eye out first."

I gave a laugh before patting his shoulder. "Relax, I wouldn't do that to you."

"Whatever," he grumbled before turning away. "Is that all you know?"

No. I still remember more, but now is not the time to tell you. I thought as I watched the boy leave. Because I do actually still hate you. You're the reason Itachi-senpai had to leave. He loved you so much, he was willing to throw his entire life away... I will always hate you for that.

"Do you hate him?" Uchiha asked as he hesitated to open the door.

"Do you know how many people I've truly hated in my short lifetime?" I questioned in reply. I caught his interest and gave a small sigh. "I've hospitalized at least two people and harmed my sister with my anger and need for vengeance."

Uchiha turned away from the door, though his hand still lingered on the doorknob. "You hospitalized them...?"

"When I was little, Sakura would be majorly bullied because of her large forehead. One time, she was pushed into a creek and nearly drowned because she didn't know how to swim back then. Of course, I made sure she was safe and sound before heading after the boy..." I gave a small chuckle as I looked down at my feet. "I can still vividly remember those screams he made as I carved my favorite flower into his flesh... He survived, but I always have a small sense of displeasure at that fact..." I gave a sigh before looking at the slightly disturbed Uchiha. "Let me tell you this, revenge is something that can only be accomplished after going through a very vicious cycle of entering and fighting off darkness. It's not going to be easy to find the light again after you've committed yourself to the dark..."

"I'll do whatever it takes to get stronger so that I can kill Itachi," Uchiha said before entering the house.

And then I'll kill you right after for harming a hair on his head, I thought viciously before shaking my head. No, I promised to not be angry and hold hatred above all else. I'm not going to hate anyone ever again. I refuse to. I won't hurt Sakura again.

And so with my thoughts swirling around in disharmony, I entered the house and went back up to the room that I shared with Kakashi-sensei for some more sleep.


	7. Chapter Seven

I frowned as I watched Kakashi-sensei walk around with crutches. "No offense sensei, but is this really the best thing for you to do?"

"What?" He asked as he looked down at me with confusion.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

He raised an eyebrow, amusement clear in his eyes. "I didn't realize my mother was reincarnated."

His mother is dead? Shit, what did I do? Why did I act all worried? I thought nervously as I kept my stern expression on my face. "Where are you going?"

"We're going out to the forest for your training," he replied with a closed-eye smile.

"Uh, what?" I asked like a moron.

"We're here too, idiot," Sakura growled as she punched the back of my head.

I grinned back at her. "Sorry. I wasn't really paying attention."

"Clearly," she grumbled.

"Okay, but training? Seriously? Especially the day after you collapse from chakra exhaustion?" I asked with my hands on my hips once again.

"Ren actually has a point, sensei," Sakura said as she looked at the man with her arms crossed.

Kakashi-sensei gave a laugh before patting our heads. "I'm fine, trust me. Just follow me, and everything will be okay."

Sakura and I exchanged looks of annoyed disbelief. Nevertheless, the two of us trailed after the silver-haired jônin with our two teammates following us.

We soon stopped in the middle of the damn forest, and I pulled out a bottle of water for sensei. I was waved off and grit my teeth angrily.

"Okay. We will now start the training," Kakashi-sensei said.

"Hell yeah!" Uzumaki-kun yelled enthusiastically.

"Before that... I want to talk to you about the shinobi ability, chakra," Kakashi-sensei said.

"Uh, um... What's catra?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

I looked at him and finally realized he was incredibly stupid. "Uzumaki-kun, I understand that you didn't come to the academy very much, but how much of a fuck-up are you?"

He looked at me all offended and crap. "I'm not a fuck-up! I just didn't pay that close attention!"

"It's chakra..." Kakashi-sensei said as he looked at Uzumaki-kun like the idiot he was. He gave a sigh before motioning to my sister. "Fine, Sakura."

She pulled out a scroll and faced it towards Uzumaki-kun. "Listen Naruto! I'm going to explain it simply. Somehow, try to remember it with that slow brain of yours." She unravelled the scroll called "Beautiful Young Girl, Sakura's Lesson on Chakra". "Simply put, chakra is the energy a shinobi needs when performing a jutsu. That energy has two parts. The body energy that is in each of the billion of your cells, and the spiritual energy gained through training and other experiences. These two parts are combined. So, by bringing out and releasing chakra, you can use a jutsu. This is done through the process of performing a seal with the hands." At the end of her scroll, it said, "If you don't understand, just read it over and over."

Uzumaki-kun had his head tilted to the side with his arms crossed. He clearly failed to understand.

"Exactly. Iruka-sensei has some good students," Kakashi-sensei praised the happy-looking Sakura.

"Hey! Hey! I didn't understand that complicated explanation, but isn't that something you learn with your body?" Uzumaki-kun asked as he turned away from my irked sister.

I gave a sigh at the blonde before snapping my fingers to get his attention. "Kage bunshins are made through focusing one's chakra and making a seal. Chakra is the thing needed to perform ninjutsu and genjutsu. In a way, it is learned with your body, but exhausting chakra is bad and gets you on bed-rest like that idiot over there." I pointed over at the sweat-dropping Kakashi-sensei. "If you don't want to spend half of your life in the hospital, then you should learn better chakra control. Understand?"

He hummed before nodding. "Basically, catra is just something to help us perform jutsus, right? And if you over use it, you turn into Kakashi-sensei."

"Close enough," I said with a nod of approval.

Kakashi-sensei hit my back with one of his crutches before clearing his throat. "Anyways, you guys are not using chakra correctly."

"What?!" Uzumaki-kun screeched.

"Listen," Kakashi-sensei demanded as he looked at us lazily, "As Sakura said earlier, to release chakra means to bring out physical and spiritual energy and mix them together within your body. Fire, water, earth, wind, lightning... And based on what jutsu you use, the type and amount of chakra that is released will be different. You guys are not using chakra effectively yet. Even if you are able to release a high amount of chakra, unless you control it properly, the jutsu will be weakened or not work at all. And by wasting energy, you won't be able to fight as long. These kinds of weaknesses will appear."

Uzumaki-kun rubbed the back of his head with a nervous laugh. "So... What should we do?"

"Learn how to control it through very tough training," Kakashi-sensei replied seriously.

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked.

"Hm?" Kakashi-sensei questioned before extending his index finger upwards. "Tree climbing!"

"Oh, I'm the master of tree climbing!" I chimed happily with my hands on my hips.

"Tree climbing?!" My teammates exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah," Kakashi-sensei replied.

"What kind of training is that?" Sakura questioned.

"Well, listen until the end," Kakashi-sensei answered. "This isn't normal tree climbing. You'll climb without using your hands."

"How?" Sakura pressed.

"Well... Watch," Kakashi-sensei said as he made the standard shinobi sign of focusing chakra. He then walked over to the nearest tree and began to walk up the tree with his crutches.

"He's climbing..." Uzumaki-kun noted aloud.

"Vertically... With just his legs..." Sakura finished, awe clear in her voice.

"You understand now?" Kakashi-sensei asked. "Gather your chakra in the bottom of your feet and climb up a tree. This is something you can do once you can use chakra well."

"Wait a minute! How is learning to climb a tree going to make us stronger?!" Sakura demanded to know.

"Pain tolerance?" I suggested with a shrug.

"No Ren," Kakashi-sensei mumbled before speaking up louder, "Here's the main part. Listen closely. The purpose of this training is first, to teach you to control chakra - to bring out the proper amount to the proper area. As I said earlier, this is the most important aspect when using jutsu. This can be difficult for even a skilled ninja. The amount of chakra needed to climb a tree is small, but it must be exact. It is said that the bottom of the foot is the most difficult area to gather chakra."

My hand shot in the air. "Kakashi-sensei! Isn't this like the exercise we performed at the academy where a leaf was placed on our forehead, and we had to focus chakra to it?!"

He paused before giving a small nod. "In a way, yes. However, it's several times harder."

I gave a small nod back as I dropped my arm back to my side.

"So basically," Kakashi-sensei said as he turned his attention back to all of us, "If you can learn this control, you should be able to master any jutsu."

My face lit up at the possibilities.

"Theoretically," he added, making my happiness immediately die.

Uzumaki-kun was shaking with eagerness besides me. Clearly, he didn't understand the meaning of theoretically.

"The second thing is for you to develop the stamina needed to control chakra properly. Depending on the jutsu, controlling your chakra properly can be very difficult. And a ninja will usually gather his chakra during battle while constantly moving. These types of situations make controlling chakra even more difficult. That's why, from this tree climbing, you must gain the stamina needed for this proper control. Well..." Kakashi-sensei put his right hand into his pocket and pulled out four kunais.

You walked up a tree with those blades in your pocket? Do you have a fucking death-wish or something? I thought with a blank expression.

"Me talking all day isn't going to accomplish anything. This is something you'll have to learn with your bodies," Kakashi-sensei explained as he held his kunais before his left shoulder. He then threw the weapons down and had them land before each of our feet. "Use these kunais to mark how high you make it up the tree. Then use that mark as your goal and try to surpass it. You guys won't be good enough to just walk up the tree at first, so get some momentum and try running up the tree. Got it?"

I picked up my kunai before looking at Sakura with a grin.

She grinned back, confident in her chakra-controlling abilities.

"This training is nothing to me! I could do it before breakfast!" Uzumaki-kun declared before pointing at the jônin. "'Cause I'm the most improved!"

"Why don't you stop the bragging?" Kakashi-sensei grumbled. "Pick a tree and hurry up and try to climb it."

That was a run on sentence, I noted before calming myself. Okay, chakra to my feet. Feel the flow of chakra within the earth and match my chakra to it. Control my chakra...

"Here I go!" Uzumaki-kun shouted.

I quickly sprinted towards the nearest tree and began to run up it effortlessly. I ran until I heard Sakura giggle. I paused and looked over to where my sister was on her tree sitting on a branch not too far away. I put my hand on my hip as I looked at her proudly.

"This is easier than I thought!" She yelled out, gaining the attention of the other three.

"Damn straight!" I agreed with a large grin.

"Sakura-chan?! Haruno-kun?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled from his spot on the ground.

"Well, now we know which of you four has the best control over their chakra, the Haruno twins," Kakashi-sensei mused as he looked at us.

"Incredible! You go Sakura-chan! That's my girl! And Haruno-kun, you're my man!" Uzumaki-kun cheered.

"Well... Understanding the use of one's chakras and manipulating them successfully is quite an achievement. So far Sakura and Ren are probably the ones closest to overtaking our leader, Hokage-sama, despite all of Naruto's boasts and aspirations... And the finest hope of the Uchiha Clan doesn't seem too impressive either," Kakashi-sensei taunted in order to make Uzumaki-kun and Uchiha more driven.

"How could you sensei?!" Sakura yelled angrily as she pointed at Kakashi-sensei, probably worried that Uchiha would start holding a grudge against her.

"I mean, as fun as paperwork sounds, I prefer physical damage instead of mental," I said as I scratched the back of my head. I then shrugged before walking further up my tree. I ended up at a branch and came up with a great idea. I rushed down the branch and jumped into the air. "Banzai!"

"What are you doing?!" Sakura screamed as I began going towards the ground with an acceleration of roughly 9.81 m/s minus air resistence.

I focused chakra to my feet and swung them towards the upcoming tree branch from a different tree. I was jerked upside down as the branch barely managed to hold me with the force that I came down on it with.

"Are you an idiot, Ren?! Don't do that again! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Sakura screamed at me as she held her chest.

I gave a chuckle as I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sorry. I thought it'd be a good test of my skill."

"A-as good as it may be, please don't try that again any time soon," Kakashi-sensei said shakily.

I gave a small hum and rubbed my chin. "I don't know... It was pretty exhilarating..."

"If you do it again, I'll personally shove you to your death!" Sakura threatened as she shook her fist at me.

I looked at her with a gleeful expression. "Really?!"

Sakura made a face of disgust. "I can't believe I'm even related to you."

I snickered before walking to the trunk of the tree. I walked down to the ground with ease before realizing that I never marked how far I'd gotten with my kunai. "Damn you, my forgetful memory!"

Uchiha gave a small snort, clearly enjoying my pain.

Fuck you, you goddamn Uchiha piece of shit! I hope you burn alive in the deepest pits of Itachi-senpai's wrath! I took a deep breath to calm myself down before walking up to the top of the tree. I stuck my kunai into the top-most spot before waltzing, yes literally waltzing, down the trunk and to the ground.

"Hm... Ren, can I talk to you for a moment?" Kakashi-sensei questioned as he motioned for me to follow him.

I trotted over to the man and followed him as he left my teammates behind. "What's up sensei?"

"You've done this before, right?" He asked.

I tilted my head to the head before smiling. "How'd you guess?"

"Your use of seals," he replied before pointing towards a nearby creak. "Your new training is to walk on the water."

I gave a laugh at his joke before realizing that he was serious. "Is this... a chakra test?"

He nodded. "You're going to channel chakra to your feet and walk on the surface of that water."

I looked at the daunting task before me and gave a sigh. "Okay..."

He patted my head before pausing. "You purr, right?"

"No," I blurted out.

He touched behind my ear, making me purr.

I hissed afterwards and bit his hand.

He immediately retracted it with a small screech. "You- You can't just bite people!"

I hissed again before rushing off to the water. I paused at the edge of the water and pulled my shirt, arm warmers, and leg warmers off. I shook my feet and took a deep breath. I hesitantly stepped on the water and then focused my chakra. I focused the same amount of my chakra to my other foot. I gave a deep sigh before I tried to walk on the water.

Immediately, my chakra reacted reacted badly with the water surface, and I fell in.

I screeched and flailed before scurrying to the shore. I shook myself like a dog and realized that I honestly didn't get any less wet. With great annoyance, I tore my bandages, shoes, and shorts off. I was tempted to take my boxers off too, but decided to not tempt fate.

I grumbled to myself before just wading into the water. I focused chakra to my feet and tried to walk around on the water, even if it wasn't the surface level. I failed and tried focusing more chakra to the bottoms of my feet. I failed, again, at getting any closer to walking on the water surface.

With a loud groan, I flopped onto my back and closed my eyes. I allowed my feet to touch the bottom of the creak and closed my eyes. I became one with the water and allowed the current to mess around with my hair and body.

And that is when I realized what I needed to do.

I went to the stream's shore and took a deep breath. I focused chakra to my feet before stepping onto the water's surface. I allowed my chakra to fluctuate with the water's surface and walked around casually. I gave a small sigh after I finished walking around after a while with no problems.

My clothes were mainly dry by then, so I decided to strip my boxers and just put my clothes on. I wrung my boxers out and stuffed them in my pocket before walking back to Tazuna-san's house.

"You're back early," Tsunami-san said as she glanced back at me.

I gave a small shrug. "I've met Kakashi-sensei's criteria, so I'm here to help you now."

She gave a small chuckle before motioning me over to the stove where she was working. "Help me make lunch for everyone, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," I replied as I came to her side.

The two of us made a delicious-looking lunch before I was sent out to collect my teammates.

"Everyone! Come back to the house! Lunch is ready!" I called once I got close to where I thought everyone was. I failed to hear any reply, so I ended up running a bit further and repeating myself loudly.

Needless to say, my directional-challenged-ness came back to bite me in the ass.

After walking in circles around the forest for a long while, I recalled that I could find north based on where moss grew on the trees. I walked north until I came out at some random clearing. I nodded slowly to myself and decided that walking south was probably the way I should have gone.

Guess who got themselves more lost? That's right, me.

After walking around for a bit longer, I decided to just lay down and die. I fell asleep for a while and unfortunately woke up to my stomach's rabid animal grumbles. I forced myself to trudge, because let's be honest, I wasn't walking anywhere with much enthusiasm anymore, through the forest until finally coming across something that I recognized - a large, unfinished bridge.

"Welp, this is convenient..." I grumbled as I put my hands on my hips. "At least I can find my way from here..."

After following the village to where we first stepped foot on Nami no Kuni, I managed to recount my travels back to Tazuna-san's house. I entered with the house with a great sigh and stumbled to the kitchen. "Food, food, nothing but food. Food..."

"Ren?!" Sakura exclaimed as I came into the kitchen/dinning room area.

I chomped on the air as I walked over to the counter where Tsunami-san was standing.

Sakura tackled me to the ground and sat on my back. "Ren! No! Bad!"

I growled as I began to army-crawl towards Tsunami-san.

"Ren. Don't make me do it," she threatened.

I paused before looking over my shoulder at her with narrowed eyes. I chomped the air twice and watched her smirk. I growled softly before just accepting defeat.

"Uh... What?" Uzumaki-kun asked as he walked over.

Sakura immediately snapped her head around. "Wait! Naruto don't-"

I bit onto his calf gently and licked him once. That's when my head was pulled back, and my back arched at an unnatural angle as my twin kept a firm grasp on my head and neck.

"You can't keep biting people because you're hungry, Ren!" Sakura yelled angrily as she caused my spine to bend even more.

"Oh, right there," I managed to say through my pleasure as my spine popped in several places.

"You're so weird," Sakura grumbled as she jerked my head back more.

I bit my bottom lip to prevent some embarrassing noises from escaping my mouth. My eyelids fluttered down as my eyes began to roll back.

"Uh, I'm just going to take Ren..." Kakashi-sensei said as he gently pushed Sakura off of me with his crutch. He poked me with the same crutch until I got up and followed him.

"Aw, come on," I mumbled as I followed after the man. "You're so mean sensei..."

He looked back at me with a blank expression. "I am not having you corrupt a small child with your masochism."

I looked at him, highly offended. "Corrupt?! I'm not going to corrupt him!"

Kakashi-sensei ran a hand down his face before stopping. "Okay, let's be realistic here Ren. You're such a masochist, you can't help but jump to your near death."

I was going to object, but then I remembered that I actually did try to jump to my death earlier that day in a few other people's eyes.

"I understand that you're a growing boy, and you feel the need to express yourselves in your own way, but you really need to learn to keep your personal... preferences... to yourself," Kakashi-sensei lectured.

I internally flipped the man off. I never liked getting those types of lectures. I didn't like being told to ignore my love for pain, and I certainly wasn't going to start listening to that lecture just because he was a jônin. If I could ignore Hokage-sama and get away with it, then I sure as hell could ignore Kakashi-sensei's bitching.

"Do you understand Ren?" Kakashi-sensei questioned.

"Yes, sir," I lied, just as I always did.

He patted my head before heading back to the kitchen/dinning room area.

I grit my teeth as I listened to his footsteps and his crutches steadily move away. I turned around and kept silent as I closed in on the man. I felt my individual joints in my fingers twitch as I stared at the back of his neck.

That's when Kakashi-sensei whirled around and pinned me down. His eye was oddly blank as he held a kunai to my neck. "I was an ANBU member once. Don't doubt my abilities, Ren. And don't ever attempt to sneak up on me again."

I finally realized then and there why Uchiha was shaking at the bloodlust Momochi was giving off. It was so suffocating, it would be easier to just kill yourself than live through it. Or at least, that's what it felt like.

"I will ask you one more time. Do you understand Ren?" Kakashi-sensei growled, his eye threatening me to even think of saying anything but yes.

I felt my mouth dry up, so I gave the smallest nod possible.

He stared me down for a moment before deciding that I had meant it. He drew his kunai away from me and sat back. He gave a sigh as he dropped into his lazy persona. "Get my crutches please."

I quickly scrambled up to do so and kept my distance as I gave them back. I figured that he wouldn't be afraid to use short spurts of his energy to do something like that again and mentally prepared myself for his attack.

He never did attack me though. He shakily stood using his crutches and then made it to the kitchen without interruption.

As soon as he was out of sight, I booked it for the forest.

~

Sakura frowned as she saw her teacher come back without her brother in tow. "Kakashi-sensei, where's Ren?"

The man looked at her in confusion before glancing over his shoulder. He gave a hum before shrugging. "I don't know. Maybe he went back out to the forest."

The girl looked at Kakashi with narrowed eyes. She knew that her brother didn't run away from food without there being a damn-good reason, especially not when he was obviously hungry. "I need to go get him."

"He'll be fine," Kakashi said as he motioned for the girl to take a seat.

Sakura ignored her teacher and tried to find her brother. She called out his name for what she felt like were hours. In all reality, it was ten minutes. She finally found her brother, who was kneeled down in front of a tree with a kunai in his hand.

He stabbed the kunai into the tree, pulled it out, and stabbed it once again. He had a blank look in his eyes, but he kept chewing on his already bleeding bottom lip.

"Ren?" Sakura called out hesitantly.

The boy in question looked over at his sister as he kept stabbing tree.

"You need to eat," she said softly as she played with her thumbs.

Ren looked back at the tree, not making any motion of moving any time soon.

Sakura took a step forwards. "Ren, please-"

The white-haired boy implanted his kunai into the tree and left it there. He stood up and said slowly, "Sakura... You need to leave me alone for a while..."

"But-"

Ren looked over at the girl, his eyes filled with malice. "Please..."

She looked down at the ground and sighed. She left a few juice boxes and snack bars before she headed back to Tazuna's house.

"Where is he?" Naruto asked curiously as Sakura entered.

"He's..." Sakura didn't really know how to put what Ren was doing into words, so she simply mumbled, "...thinking..."

"About what?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head.

Sakura didn't answer as she sat down and stared at the table.

Naruto released a frustrated hum as he gave Sakura a closed-eye stare. When he didn't get any reply, he stood up and said, "I'm going training."

"Me too," Sasuke piped up.

"If you see Ren, don't go near him, don't talk to him, and especially don't touch him," Sakura mumbled gravely. "If you even see a little bit of him in the distance, go the other way..."

"Why?" Naruto asked curiously.

Sakura didn't reply.

The two boys glanced at each other before nodding subtly. They went on their way to find their teammate, Sasuke a bit more cautious than Naruto.

"What do you think Kakashi-sensei said to Haruno-kun?" Naruto muttered as soon as they got out of the sight of the house.

"How should I know?" Sasuke replied as his eyes scanned through the trees.

Naruto huffed before allowing his eyes to drift around the area they were walking through. He soon stopped and hit Sasuke softly. He then pointed over at the white-wearing boy in the distance.

Sasuke took the lead and walked cautiously towards his teammate. He remembered their last conversation distinctly and didn't want to make any moves that would end up with him being attacked.

"What's he doing?" Naruto whispered as he narrowed his eyes at the figure that was steadily becoming larger in his vision.

Ren hummed softly as he stared at the tree in front of him. His hand traced whatever was carved into the wood. His white hair was in an unusually bad state of disarray and his clothes didn't seem much better.

"Is that a song?" Naruto wondered softly to himself.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the question that held an obvious answer of yes. He silently approached Ren from behind with Naruto right on his heels. He was ready to shake Ren, but stopped when he read what was carved into the tree.

"Servant of Flowers?" Naruto muttered aloud.

Ren stopped his humming immediately. "Sasuke... Naruto... Leave."

"No, we're here to get you! You need food!" Naruto yelled defiantly.

Ren stood up and showed the kunai he was holding tightly in his left hand. "Now."

Sasuke obviously took a step back and made sure Naruto was still behind him. "Okay, we're leaving."

"But Sasuke-"

Sasuke shot Naruto a similar look that Naruto used the day before. He had a plan, but he needed help. Of course, the proud Uchiha would never dare admit that aloud.

Naruto, thankfully, understood and gave a nod. He then gave a sigh and said with false indignation, "Fine. We'll leave."

Ren began to hum a different tune as he sat down. He ran his hand over the lotus he carved and took a deep breath. He performed a few handsigns before a black lotus bloomed from the wood of the tree. A small smile graced his lips as he held the flower carefully.

Naruto brightened up and immediately forgot about the plan that Sasuke had made. "How'd you do that?"

Ren shrugged in reply. "I've always been good with lotuses."

Now, Naruto was no florist, but even he knew that lotuses didn't just bloom from trees.

"Want it?" Ren questioned as he held it over his shoulder towards Naruto.

Naruto took it, holding it very carefully. "You don't want it?"

"I can make one any time I wish," the white haired boy commented as he waved the blonde off.

"Yeah, but it looks very pretty. You should keep it," Naruto urged as he held the flower out towards Ren's back.

The amber-eyed boy gave a soft chuckle and slipped his kunai away. He turned around and took the flower. "Close your eyes for a second."

"Wh-what did you...?" Naruto cut himself off as he stared at the blood that coated Ren's chin.

Ren looked down, though he obviously couldn't see what Naruto was staring at. He gave a small hum as he licked his lower lip. "Oh that. Don't mind it." He quickly got the blood off before repeating, "Close your eyes."

Naruto raised an eyebrow but closed his eyes anyways.

Sasuke watched cautiously as Ren put the flower into Naruto's hair. His brow furrowed when Ren motioned for him to close his eyes.

Ren rolled his eyes when Sasuke didn't comply and just tucked the lotus he had hidden away behind the Uchiha's right bangs. He then smiled brightly before jumping into the trees and disappearing from the other two boys' sight.

"Wait! Ren!" Naruto yelled out as he rushed after his friend.

Sasuke quickly followed after he pulled the flower from his hair and dropped it to the ground.

Naruto meanwhile kept the flower close to him as he desperately ran through the forest, following the sounds of rustling leaves. As he ended up at the place where Tazuna-san resided, he came to the conclusion that he had taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"He'll probably come back," Sasuke said as he walked towards the house with his hands shoved into his pockets.

Naruto didn't look convinced. But with no other leads, there wasn't much that he could have done to find Ren on his own. The blonde followed after his rival with slumped shoulders. He didn't like the prospect of him failing.

"What took you two so long?" Sakura asked with her arms crossed as soon as the two entered the kitchen area.

They looked at her in confusion before seeing Ren sitting at the table stuffing his face. The two boys shared looks of bewilderment.

Sakura noticed the lotus in Naruto's hair and looked over at her brother subtly. She gave a small smile before going back to her seat. She elbowed her brother gently which earned her a small blush from the slightly older twin.

"Weren't you just in the forest?" Naruto asked as he pointed over his shoulder.

"Who knows?" Ren replied with a small shrug and kind smile.

And with that, the interesting parts of that day ended.


	8. Chapter Eight

Sakura released a yawn as I walked by whilst carrying a toolbox full of various supplies for the bridge.

I chuckled to myself as I set the toolbox down next to the person that requested it. "Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?"

The man waved me off. "You've done enough for me kid. Go take a break."

"Actually, could you go get me a bottle of water by the second farthest crane?" A different man asked as he pointed towards my destination.

I nodded and quickly ran off to get the desired item. I retrieved a bottle of rather cold water and rushed back to the man. "Here's your water."

"Thanks," the man said simply as he took the water.

I smiled before heading off to find someone else to help.

That was pretty much how I spent my entire day. I rushed around, constantly helping others even when they insisted that I take a break. I had to wear a hardhat and gloves, which I didn't really like. But since it was the only way they'd allow me to help, I put up with it.

Though to be perfectly honest, what hardhat is going to protect you from a falling I-Beam? I'd like to see that plastic hat protect someone from getting smashed like a bug from the weight and force of that beam.

Anyways, the work was pretty mundane, and no one under Gatô dared to threaten Tazuna-san.

After working through our shift, Tazuna-san, Sakura, and I walked into town.

"I can't believe you didn't offer to help," I mumbled as I glared at my sister.

"Someone needs to watch out for Tazuna-san," Sakura said as she kept a hand on the strap to her bag.

"You nearly fell asleep three times," I replied as I held up three fingers for emphasis. "Three!"

Tazuna-san gave a chuckle. "Relax. Your help was more than enough Ren. If you keep that up, the bridge will be done in no time at all."

I beamed at the man, more than happy to help the people of Nami no Kuni.

"Stop, thief!" A man yelled in the sea of people in the main village of Nami no Kuni.

I looked around, but failed to see a thief making a grand escape. I frowned at my failure to help, but Sakura seemed relieved at the lack of anything remotely dangerous.

"My daughter asked me to pick up some things for our dinner on the way home, so..." Tazuna-san trailed off as he lead us to a small store. "Here we are!"

Loitering in front of the store was a kid that looked homeless and in desperate need of food.

"Welcome!" The person behind the counter greeted as Tazuna-san and Sakura entered.

I rummaged through my bag before pulling out a snack bar and juice box. "H-hey... I know this isn't a lot, but would you like it?"

The boy looked up at me before seeing what I was holding out to him. Tears filled his eyes as he took the things from my hands. "Thank you..." And with that, he rushed away to eat and drink in peace.

I smiled and waved before entering the shop. The first thing I saw was Sakura roundhouse kicking a man. With a blank face, I walked over the man and asked, "Pervert?"

She huffed and glared down at the man. "Pervert," she confirmed.

I patted her shoulder reassuringly before grabbing the man by his collar. I pulled him out of the grocery store and proceeded to kick him across the town, both literally and figuratively.

And with that, all was right in the world...

As soon as Tazuna-san finished and put his groceries away in his bag, we left the store. "Well... That certainly was a surprise."

"What is with this town...?" Sakura grumbled. She suddenly stopped with an annoyed look on her face. She and I turned around to see a small child holding their hands out with a pleading look on their face. Sakura handed over several candies to the poor kid.

The child hid the candies away in their hands as they rushed through the crowd. The kid had a bright smile on their face, so at least Sakura made them happy.

"It's been like this ever since Gatô moved in," Tazuna-san explained, "We've become a city of slackers, cowards, and fools! That's why the bridge we are building is so essential! It will be an emblem of courage. Maybe the people who've taken the path of least resistance will be walking the road of courage and dignity again. If we can only complete it... I truly believe that our city and people can be what they once were again!"

I looked over at Sakura before deciding that I would definitely continue helping Tazuna-san and his team with building the bridge. I wanted to do whatever I could to help everyone here.

As soon as we got back, I washed my hands and began to help Tsunami-san with lunch.

"Man, your brother is surprisingly good in the kitchen," Tazuna-san commented loud enough for me to hear.

"Yeah, he helped Okaa-san out in the kitchen a lot when he was younger," Sakura said nonchalantly. "He also knows how to do other various house chores and is an expert when it comes to flower arrangements."

"I thought only girls could do flower arrangements in the academy," Uzumaki-kun commented.

"He had me teach him because he really likes flowers," Sakura explained casually.

I felt my face burn with embarrassment as one of my most-kept secrets was spilled out by my sister.

Uzumaki-kun gave a small chuckle while Uchiha gave a "hn" of amusement.

Curse you, my lovable sister! I internally screamed as I helped Tsunami-san take the different plates to the table. I smiled pleasantly as I took my seat, right after Tsunami-san did though.

While eating as fast, Uchiha and Uzumaki-kun seemed to glare at each other. They finished at the same time and lifted their plates up. "More please!" They then made a gulping noise before throwing up.

"Stop eating if you're just gonna hurl it back up!" Sakura yelled as she slammed her hands on the table.

"As much as I like throwing up, you two should seriously stop..." I mumbled as I looked between the two.

"No, I wanna eat!" Uchiha declared as he wiped his mouth off.

Uzumaki-kun grinned, tears still in his eyes. "Because even if we make ourselves sick to do it, we have to eat if we want to get strong!"

""Whatever it takes" seems nice in theory, but throwing up is a different situation entirely," I said as I rubbed the back of my head. "The amount of electrolytes and water you lose through throwing up is pretty bad if you do it consistently..."

"What are electrolytes?" Uzumaki-kun asked with a tilt of his head.

"The things that you need to keep your heart beating," I replied with a shrug.

Uzumaki-kun's eyes widened in fear, and Uchiha didn't really look any better.

"Anyways, it's a waste of Tsunami-san's time and money. She worked hard to make that food, and you're just wasting it by puking it out," I scolded.

They looked at the woman apologetically before actually eating like normal people. Of course, they had to clean up their puke first because no one wanted to eat near that.

As soon as dinner finished, Sakura went up to a nearby picture that had someone ripped out of it. "Um... Why is this picture torn? Inari-kun was looking at this the whole time we were having dinner. Someone's face is completely gone. Is that deliberate?"

The three family members all jolted as though they had just been shocked. They clearly didn't want to talk about very much.

"...It was a picture of Inari's father," Tsunami-san finally said as she washed dishes at the sink, something she refused to allow me to help with.

"Once upon a time, if you will... our entire city called him a hero," Tazuna-san said as he stared down at the table.

Inari-kun shoved his chair away from the table and hopped off silently. He walked over to the door to the outside of the house silently, his head tilted down as to keep his eyes hidden.

"Inari!" Tsunami-san exclaimed as she looked at her son. "Where are you going?"

Inari-kun didn't reply and slammed the door behind him.

"Inari!" Tsunami-san cried before glaring at Tazuna-san. "Father! I've told you time and time again not to mention that in front of my son!" She then quickly chased after her son, slamming the door behind herself.

I gave a small sigh before rolling my sleeves up. I went up to the sink and continued on from where Tsunami-san left off. As I was washing the remaining dishes, I listened in on the conversation my teammates and Tazuna-san had.

"So... You're talking about what it is that makes Inari-kun acts so strangely...?" Sakura questioned.

"It sounds like there's a story there..." Kakashi-sensei commented.

"The man in the picture was not Inari's birth father, but they were as loving and close as any biological father and son could have been," Tazuna-san explained. "Inari was such a happy, laughing child back then..." He began to sob, but he had a very serious look. "But Inari changed after what happened to his father. Our people - and especially little Inari - were robbed of the very meaning of courage because of what happened that day."

"What happened?" Kakashi-sensei repeated questioningly. "What was it? What could have changed Inari so much?"

Tazuna-san pulled his glasses off and wiped his eyes. "Let me start at the beginning... And tell you about the man who our entire land called a champion and a hero."

"Champion...?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"It was about three years ago..." Tazuna-san explained as he looked down at the table.

"Here, Poochie!" Inari called.

"...that Inari and the man first met," Tazuna-san finished.

"Not any more! Starting now, his name is Shooting Star, and he belongs to me now!" The main bully, Akane, exclaimed.

"He's not a shooting star!" Inari objected as he thrashed in the arms of the two boys that held him. "That's my Poochie! Give him back! Poochie's my friend! You can't have him!"

"Shut up!" Akane yelled back defiantly.

Silence filled the air.

Akane suddenly grinned before throwing the small dog into the water.

"Poochie!" Inari cried.

"It's what you get for not handing him over when I ordered," Akane taunted, "Who cares about that dumb dog anyway? Hey! Let Inari go!"

The two goons did as they were ordered.

"You can't just drown my dog!" Inari screamed.

"Well, if the puppy means so much to you, better go save him!" Akane teased.

Inari flinched. "But...!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Akane asked. "Are you going to let him just die?!"

'Of course not! Poochie's my best friend!' Inari thought as he shook. 'But... But...' He clenched his hands into fists as he shook even more. 'I'm sorry Poochie... I don't know how to swim...'

"Hey! If you own him, why aren't you diving in?" Akane teased before kicking Inari's back.

Inari fell into the water with a scream.

"This ain't right, Akane-san. What if he can't swim?" The sympathetic goon asked as he shook Akane.

Inari choked on a bit of water as he flailed about. "H-help! Help me!"

"Aw, just leave him!" Akane said as he grabbed the front of his friend's shirt and pulled him closer.

"B-but..." The boy trailed off.

"Or do you want to be the next one performing a little pet rescue?" Akane threatened as he pointed down at Inari.

Inari continued to struggle in the water while thinking, 'I-I don't wanna die... S-somebody, help...!'

Just then, Poochie paddled on by with ease.

"Poochie?!" Inari exclaimed in shock.

"But, I digress..." Tazuna-san commented.

Inari's dog paddled towards shore, leaving Inari behind. That caused the three bullies to chase after him on the dock.

"P-P-P-" Inari couldn't get the name out as he chocked and gurgled on water.

"Necessity, and the nearness of his own death finally taught Poochie how to dog paddle..." Tazuna-san explained.

Poochie made it to the shore and shook himself off.

"What?!" Akane exclaimed as he watched Poochie start to run off. "Shooting Star's getting away. Go after him!"

The white-furred dog released a bark.

Inari could no longer keep his head above the water. He released one final, "Poochie-" before taking in mouthfuls of water. Air escaped his lungs, and his consciousness slowly faded as he thought, 'I... It hurts... This is it... I'm... dying...'

The sunlight gleamed above as Inari woke up slowly.

"Are you awake, son?!" The unknown man asked loudly as he sat before a fire.

Inari sat up quickly, causing the blanket on him to crumple on his lap.

"I really let those punks who were picking on you have it good," the man said with a smile as he looked over his left shoulder. He then held a stick out to Inari that had a fish stabbed on it. "Here, eat!"

'God?' Inari asked himself internally as he stared at the man with wide eyes. 'No... Maybe not...' He then gathered his courage and asked, "Did you... rescue me, Oji-chan?!"

"...You've had a pretty tough time of it, haven't you?!" The man asked, dodging the question carefully. "...Even your own dog let you down. Where I come from dogs are loyal. You can count on them, but... Well, I guess, since you let him down first, we really shouldn't be to hard on him."

Inari ate his fish sadly upon hearing that before deciding to speak up, tears slowly streaming down his face. "I was too scared to even move. I wanted to rescue him, but... I guess I wasn't brave enough..."

The man gently patted Inari's head, causing Inari to stop crying. "Of course not... Any kid your age would have been terrified. But keep in mind, son... When you do become a man, you have to walk a road that won't leave you filled with regrets."

Inari looked up in confusion.

The man leaned back and flexed his right arm. He put his left hand on his right bicep while showing off his many scars. "If something is precious to you, no matter how pitiful or how hard it seems, no matter what it may cost you you have to hang in there and protect it with all the strength you've got, even at the risk of your own life!"

Inari looked at the man in awe.

"If you do that, then even if you die in the attempt, at least the world will be left with the proof that a man worth living had died! It'd be like your legacy... Right?!" He then rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Okay... I guess it does sound a little corny, huh?"

Inari smiled brightly as he replied, "Yeah!"

"Hey! I finally got a smile out of you!" The man cheered before taking a big bite of fish. "Now eat. Eat!"

"Oh!" Inari exclaimed before quickly eating more of his fish.

"His name was Kaiza. He was a fisherman who came here from abroad seeking his fortune. From that day forward, Inari's affection and admiration for Kaiza grew and grew," Tazuna-san explained.

Inari and Kaiza tied ropes around their heads in the same manner. They also fished together as Tsunami watched on happily..

"It probably had something to do with Inari's real father having died before the boy was old enough to remember him, but even so... That boy stuck to Kaiza like white on rice," Tazuna-san said, "They were always together, like any other father and son. In no time at all, Kaiza was like one of the family."

Uzumaki-kun smiled as he listened to the story.

"And he was just the kind of man this town needs more of!" Tazuna-san exclaimed.

The rain poured down as two men barged into the house.

"I-it's terrible! Kaiza, the rain's so heavy, it's overflowed the riverbanks and forced open all of the locks!" A man yelled. "At this rate, all of Sector D will be flooded!"

"What?!" Kaiza exclaimed as he stood up from the table.

"Tou-chan!" Inari exclaimed as he looked at his father.

"Inari, go to the back and get the ropes!" Kaiza ordered.

"Okay!" Inari exclaimed as he quickly scrambled off to get the ropes.

The four people quickly went to the lock at Sector D to see what damage was currently going on.

"This is awful. The only way we could possible get this lock closed is if we put a rope around the entire barrier and pull it, but..." The man trailed off.

"Impossible!" Another man exclaimed, "How would we get a rope around it in the first place?! Anyone who goes into that torrent will be swept away and drowned!"

"The longer the wait, the worse it will get... And Sector D running out of time!" A third man yelled.

"I'll go!" Kaiza announced as he tipped his hat up a bit.

"Kaiza!" Several people exclaimed.

"It can't be done man!" One man yelled.

"You'll be throwing your life away!" Another cried out.

"Don't risk it!" A third man demanded.

"Tou-chan!" Inari exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Inari... Tou-chan can do anything!" Kaiza said reassuringly before kneeling down and patting Inari's hat. "Because he loves the city where his little boy lives!"

Inari looked up at his father with great admiration.

With a rope carefully looped around his shoulder, Kaiza dove into the rushing water.

"Kaiza!" The man holding one end of the rope exclaimed worriedly.

'If something is precious to you...' Inari thought in his father's voice as he watched the man swim with all of his might. 'Protect it with all the strength you've got... even at the risk... of your own life!'

Kaiza was still swimming with all of his might, his destination near.

"Go, Tou-chan!" Inari cheered.

"He's done it! The rope's in place! Pull everyone!" A man yelled before everyone pulled their hardest to close the lock.

"That was when people here started calling Kaiza a champion and a hero," Tazuna-san explained, "With a father like that, Inari could hold his head up high... Until Gatô came to town..."

"...And the incident you've alluded to took place..." Kakashi-sensei concluded.

Tazuna-san didn't reply immediately.

I gave a soft sigh as I finished drying the dishes that I washed and put them away. With nothing else to do, I went back to the table to hear the rest of the story with no interruptions.

"So... What happened?" Kakashi-sensei pressed.

Tazuna-san shuddered at the mere thought of the incident and said gravely, "In front of the entire city... Gatô had Kaiza put to death!"

"What?" Sakura blurted out from the sudden shock of the news.

My eyes were wide, my blood running cold. I couldn't image such a cruel thing.

"Everybody listen up!" Gatô yelled as he motioned to the man that was tied up in a crucified manner.

Kaiza was there, both of his arms cut off. Rope tied him to the wooden cross around his arm stubs, waist, thighs, and ankles. Blood dripped down his chin from his mouth and nose, and he was bleeding from the side if his head. His clothes were all messed up from the brutal beating he had received.

"This man has committed acts of violence and terrorism against my company and our activities here," Gatô announced, earning gasps from the crowd. "He's openly denounced our policies and tried to incite sabotage and resistance against us, and disrupted the order of this land. The penalty for all his crimes is death. The sentence will be carried out at once to ensure that such an awful thing will never disturb any of us, ever again!"

"Tou-chan!" Inari yelled as he held on to the chain-linked fence.

Kaiza looked at the crying face of his son and forced a smile through his pain.

"Now!" Gatô ordered his samurai henchman.

The man unsheathed his sword slowly.

"Tou-chan!" Inari screamed.

Kaiza's life was ended by the blade of the samurai.

'But... You promised... You promised to protect me!' Inari thought desperately before suddenly losing all emotion. '...You're a liar!'

"Ever since then, Inari has changed... And Tsunami... And everyone in the city's changed too," Tazuna-san said, wrapping his tale up.

Uzumaki-kun glared ahead at the end of the story, his brow furrowing more with each passing second. He tried to get up, but fell on his face.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sakura asked with great exasperation.

"Don't even think about training any more today. If you try to work your chakras anymore without getting some rest first, it would probably kill you," Kakashi-sensei warned.

"I'm going to prove to him that he's wrong!" Uzumaki-kun declared as he forced himself to his feet.

"Prove what? To whom?" Sakura questioned.

"I'm going to show Inari that there are still heroes in the world!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he headed out the door to go train some more.

"Well... He's going to die from chakra deprivation," I commented as soon as he closed the door behind him.

Kakashi-sensei released a sigh. "Ren..."

"We were all thinking it!" I exclaimed as I threw my arms into the air.

Uchiha gave a small nod as if he agreed with me.

Sakura looked at me all judgmentally, as did Kakashi-sensei.

Tazuna-san just looked preoccupied with his own mind.

"I'm not babysitting him," I then said as I crossed my arms.

"I wouldn't trust you to babysit him anyways," Kakashi-sensei commented as he leaned back in his chair.

"Uh- Wha- I-" I shut my mouth and released a huff through my nose. Asshole!

Sakura gave a chuckle. "Cat got your tongue?"

"That douche doesn't look like a cat to me," I said to her bluntly as I pointed at Kakashi-sensei.

Kakashi-sensei reached over the table with his crutch to hit my head.

I dodged his attack though and laughed while pointing at him. I didn't prepare for him to swing again, and ended up getting hit in my temple. I slipped from my chair and flopped on the ground. "Son of a bitch!"

Kakashi-sensei remained oddly silent as I stood up and rubbed my forehead.

"What?" I snapped angrily.

"Aren't you a masochist?" He asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes.

"Oddly enough, if you manage to hit Ren in that exact spot, he becomes moody until he gets at least an hour of sleep," Sakura explained.

Kakashi-sensei raised an eyebrow. "Is there any particular reason why?"

Sakura gave a long hum. "I think Ren said it's because a guy named-"

"None-of-his-fucking-business," I interrupted with a fake cough.

"Itachi..." She said as she glared at me, "...Always poked him there."

Uchiha's head snapped around, and he glared into my soul. He was clearly upset that I failed to tell him that yesterday.

Kakashi-sensei looked between Uchiha and I with slight apprehension. "Well... Sorry Ren. Sasuke, why don't you make sure Naruto will come back tonight?"

Uchiha glared at me for a bit longer before getting up and heading out for Uzumaki-kun.

Sakura had this massive look of confusion as she watched Uchiha go. "Is Itachi a bad person?"

Nope, I thought as I stood up. I silently headed for the bedroom I still shared with Kakashi-sensei.

"W-wait! Ren! Who is he?!" Sakura yelled after me.

"Sakura, drop it," Kakashi-sensei ordered immediately with a stern tone.

I gave a deep sigh as I buried myself in the covers of my futon. This is the day my life crumbles around me, huh?

Thankfully, my mind didn't come up with some sort of snarky remark.

I laid in silence until Kakashi-sensei entered the room.

"So you knew Itachi, huh?" He asked as he sat down on his futon.

"I was practically his shadow," I replied in a dull tone. "So yes, you could say I knew him."

"I see..." He muttered to himself.

"He... I..." I gave a sigh as I curled into a ball. "On the night he... you know... killed off his clan..." I cringed a bit at my wording, but pushed past it. "I saw him one final time. He... said that it was nice knowing me and gave one final goodbye before knocking me out. He then... um..." I sighed before sitting up and shuffling over to my teacher. I pulled my shirt up to show the man my scar. "He did that."

Kakashi-sensei's eye widened before he gave me a very sad look. "I... I'm sorry..."

I dropped my shirt down and shook my head. "There's nothing you need to be sorry for. Had I not approached the man covered in blood like the idiot I was, I wouldn't have had to deal with that."

"Still..." He didn't finish his sentence and instead looked towards the window. "Why a pinwheel?"

"Mangekyō sharingan," I replied as I pointed upwards.

He looked back at me in confusion. "Mangekyō... Sharingan?"

"Once you see someone close to you, a sibling works best, die, then your sharingan should advance to the next level, aka the mangekyō sharingan. When you unlock the mangekyō sharingan, you should also unlock your eye's special ability. I can't tell you what ability it will have, as every mangekyō sharingan is different. However, once you have unlocked both of your mangekyō sharingans and can use them properly, then you should be able to use the ability called Susanoo..." I then tilted my head to the side and tilted my index finger the other way. "...Or at least that's what Itachi and Shisui-senpai said before Shisui-senpai committed suicide."

"I'm surprised you know that much. The Uchihas were typically very secretive about their clan's special ability," Kakashi-sensei noted.

I gave a sheepish laugh as I rubbed the back of my neck. "Even as a kid, I was rather smart for my age. I managed to piece enough together for them to just break down and give me the full story."

"Where you close to them?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"As close as a child of my age could be to people their age," I said as I gave a shrug.

"Hey... Did Itachi ever tell you why he did what he did?" He asked softly, his eye looking into my very soul itself.

"No, but I've had my suspicions just like everyone else," I answered honestly.

Kakashi-sensei sighed before ruffling my hair. "That's all I really needed to know. Thank you for your honesty Ren."

"Well as long as you don't stick a kunai to my throat again, I'll be as helpful as you'd like," I said with a bright smile, my eyes conveying a threat of 'don't fuck with me again'.

He looked down awkwardly before giving a nod. "Yeah, sorry about that. It's just, you were staring rather intensely, and it triggered a few impulses."

"Well, I kinda hope I don't ever develop the impulse to shove a kunai to a child's neck," I blurted out like the asshole I was.

He gave me an annoyed look. "It won't happen again."

"You're gonna have to promise me on the life of Sakura," I said as I pointed at his chest.

"Why her life?" He asked.

"Because she's the most important person in my life, and I would literally die for her," I replied seriously.

"Isn't that a bit intense for someone your age?" The jônin asked nervously.

"Uh... No... Of course not..." I said awkwardly as I scooted away to my futon. I hid away under my covers and added, "Probably."

He snorted, and I imagined him shaking his head. "Goodnight, Ren."

"Goodnight, Kakashi-sensei," I replied before yelling loudly, "Goodnight, Sakura!"

"Don't be so loud, Ren!" She yelled back.

"I love you, little sister!" I screamed on the top of my lungs.

She didn't reply, probably because she was too embarrassed.

With a big smile on my face, I drifted off to sleep.


	9. Chapter Nine

Sakura yawned as she entered the kitchen area.

I gave a smirk as I helped Tsunami-san carry dishes to the table. "Up late last night, Sakura?"

She shot me a dirty look as she took a seat at the table. Yep, she was up late last night.

"Naughty Naruto stayed out all night again, didn't he?" Tazuna-san asked as he sat at his usual spot at the table.

"Ever since you told us that story, he's been in the trees, training all alone, night after night... an idiot with an obsession!" Sakura said as she rubbed her eyes. She headed into the kitchen area as she said, "If he exhausts his chakra, he could kill himself and be lying dead somewhere right now."

I pointed over at Kakashi-sensei after I finished handing plates out. "I told you everyone was thinking it!"

He looked at me in confusion since our last discussion about Uzumaki-kun dying from chakra exhaustion was about five days ago.

"Nevermind..." I mumbled as I dropped my hand down.

"I hope he's all right. It's not good for a boy to spend night after night alone outside!" Tsunami-san exclaimed worriedly.

"There's nothing to worry about," Kakashi-sensei said reassuringly as he gave a closed-eye smile. "Naruto's a goofy kid, but he's also a full-fledged ninja."

"Is it possible...? Could he have killed himself?" Uchiha asked, ignoring what our jônin just said. He then muttered softly, "That bonehead..."

I can never understand how you two fight like cats and dogs, but care about each other so much at the same time. Sakura and I would never be able to survive if we fought as often as you did, I thought as I looked at Uchiha with a tilt of my head.

Sakura sat down where she usually sat as Uchiha got up. "Huh? Where are you going?"

"I'm going for a walk," he replied as he walked out with his hands in his pockets.

"More food for me!" I cheered as I threw my arms into the air.

"You're going to get fat if you keep eating the way you do," Sakura scolded.

I pursed my lips. "Excuse me? I believe I work my food off every day, and then some."

Tazuna-san gave a chuckle as he reached up and patted my shoulder. "That's right kid. You've definitely done your fair share of running around these last few days."

"Oh yeah, he hasn't told me specifically what he's been doing throughout the day," Kakashi-sensei recalled as he turned his attention towards Tazuna-san. "Besides running errands, is there anything else Ren has been doing?"

"He's no longer just running errands. He's actually helping with the construction of the bridge," Tazuna-san explained as I failed to motion for him to shut up.

"Wow. I never expected you to be responsible enough to do such a thing," Kakashi-sensei teased, a smirk clear in his voice.

I gave a sarcastic laugh and went to flip him off, but decided that I hadn't wanted to face the wrath of several people because I raised a middle finger or two in front of an eight-year-old. "You're my favorite too, sensei."

"If I'm not your favorite, who is?" Kakashi-sensei asked quickly.

"Gai-sensei!" I chirped happily.

The man's face scrunched up in disgust. "I forgot that you liked him and his team..."

"I don't get why you don't like Gai-sensei so much. He's a bit excitable, especially around you, but he's a nice guy, really," I said as I looked at him with my head tilted to the side.

"The problem is that he's especially "excitable" around me," he said as he made air quotes around the word 'excitable'. "I don't like dealing with him and his... springtime of youth."

I gave his thought some consideration before shrugging. "Yeah, but it's that springtime of youth that makes Gai-sensei and his team so eager for sparring with me."

Kakashi-sensei gave a sigh before shaking his head. "Of course. It's you, after all."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," I said with a large grin

Finally, everyone was sitting at the table, so breakfast began.

After eating, Tazuna-san, Sakura, and I went to the bridge construction-site as usual.

Once there, I got right to work with carrying different pieces of wood from the bridge entrance to the farthest place possible on the bridge. I was really getting a workout that helped me in place of my usual workout. I was more than sure that Gai-sensei would be happy with my new stamina reservoir.

But that aside, Tazuna-san handed out the praise when he had a chance to catch his breath. He really did appreciate the help I gave, especially since several people had stopped helping due to their selfishness.

The fear for one's life is something all humans instinctively have. All animals have a distinct instinct of self-preservation, there's no denying that. However, if you, as a human, can't overcome that fear for the sake of your community, your family, and, in the very end, yourself, then you really shouldn't be dragging everyone, the people who fight for their freedom and the right to live peacefully, down with you. That was, and still is, my personal belief.

"Thanks for all the hard work today," Tazuna-san said as people began to leave for their homes.

"Hey, could I stay after and get a few things set up for tomorrow?" I asked the bridge builder.

"Absolutely not," he denied.

A frown came to my lips. "I'm not going to mess anything up. I promise!"

"It's not that I don't trust you, because I do, but after the hours you've poured into this bridge today, you need a long break and at least one meal," Tazuna-san explained as he began to walk towards his house.

"But there's still so much more to do! We aren't finished with weighing down the newest pillars yet, and surely someone can be working on that! Besides, even after we weight them down, the amount cement needed to fill up that space is rather large, and it will take a few days to set!" I exclaimed as I followed after him.

"I'm not letting you go do such a thing at such a pressure, especially not alone. I understand that you want to help, and as much as it gets things done, I won't allow you to continue on with the making of this bridge if you purposefully put your life in danger for the sake of this bridge," Tazuna-san replied coldly.

"It's not just to get the bridge done! It's to help your people reach freedom and courage again! I want to do everything I can to save as many people as possible! I want Gatô to get what's coming to him, and the first step to that is the bridge," I explained, my words softer towards the end of my speech in fear that one of Gatô's goons were around and eavesdropping.

"The answer is still no. It isn't your burden to die for," Tazuna-san objected.

"It technically is," I muttered.

"Ren!" Sakura exclaimed, finally voicing her opinion on the matter. "You're not going to do something stupid and get yourself killed just because you couldn't wait another few hours!"

I gave a sigh before relenting. "...Fine."

Sakura gave her own sigh. "Thank you..."

We both knew, however, that I didn't really agree with anything that she said. We both knew I was just backing off to be nice. But in the end, we both refused to say anything to indicate otherwise. We didn't want to explore the possibility of that and have our bond ruined forever.

"Dinner should taste great today!" Tazuna-san pipped up to break the awkwardness of the air around us.

"Why?" I questioned. I was unaware if Tazuna-san knew ahead of time what Tsunami-san was making, and I especially didn't know if what Tsunami-san was making happened to be Tazuna-san's favorite.

"Dinner always tastes great after a hard day of work!" Tazuna-san explained chipperly.

Sakura and I deadpanned before asking at the same time, "Isn't that implying that you haven't worked hard before today?"

He caught his error and slouched his shoulders. "Nevermind..."

Sakura and I exchanged glances before deciding that it was best not to poke at the man's shattered emotional state.

Once we got to Tazuna-san's house, I immediately headed over to help Tsunami-san as usual.

Tazuna-san had other things to say about the matter though. "Ren, you should lay down for a while."

I looked at him in confusion. "What? Why? I'm not tired."

"A boy like you needs rest after how many hours you've poured into hard labor today," Tazuna-san replied.

Sakura nodded in approval, her hands on her hips. "Exactly. You're even worse than Naruto!"

"Excuse me?! I don't recall skipping town in the middle of the night to climb trees!" I argued as I threw my arms into the air.

Sakura sighed as she walked over. She shoved an unopened juice pouch into my mouth before somehow managing to shove an unopened snack bar into the remaining space. "Shut up, eat these, and go lay down for a while."

I spit the two food items out as I held my throat. "I get that I'm a masochist, but for you to try and suffocate me is a bit much, Sakura."

She gave me an unamused look. "You can deal with jumping off of our roof, but three seconds without oxygen is completely out of the question, huh Ren?"

I grumbled at my defeat before silently eating my snack bar and drinking my juice pouch.

"So you overdid it today, huh?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he used his crutches to enter the kitchen.

"No," I replied immediately, and maybe a bit too defensively.

"He hasn't taken any breaks today, and he even ended up eating his lunch while running materials back and forth across the bridge," Tazuna-san reported.

"I'm not dropping over from exhaustion, so I think I'm fine," I grumbled before finishing off my snack. I disposed of my garbage and was immediately shoved towards the bedroom I shared with Kakashi-sensei.

"Now go lay down!" Sakura demanded as she kept shoving me.

"Hey! I can walk by myself!" I whined as I turned my feet sideways as to cause friction to slow her desperate shoves.

"You are going to take a nap Ren," Kakashi-sensei ordered as he motioned to the door to the room.

I rolled my eyes dramatically before sidestepping Sakura. I made sure she wouldn't fall on her face and crossed my arms. "You're not my mother. You can't tell me to take a nap like I'm a toddler."

"Sensei," he said, his eye barely crinkling up from the grin that was surely hidden away behind that mask of his.

I mocked him wordlessly and flipped him off as I passed by. I got my back hit by one of his crutches as I walked past him, which was a win rather than a loss. I gave a chuckle just to rub it their faces that they lost before closing the door of the room behind me.

Okay, just to set things straight, I did not take a nap because Kakashi-sensei told me to take one. I took a nap only because my futon was surprisingly comfortable and warm, though it may have actually been Kakashi-sensei's futon that I got all dirty for no other reason besides the fact I was seeing just about triples of everything as I fell onto said futon.

My eyes opened, and I saw nothing but blackness all around me. I could barely see the outline of my body as well as the shackles that bound me. I opened my mouth to make a noise of discontent, but found that I was unable to make a noise.

This again, huh? I thought sadly as I just sat there in the darkness. Man, this sucks... How long will I have to spend here in this cold abyss this time?

I rubbed my arms in a futile attempt to warm myself up before turning my attention to the cold feeling of the chains binding my wrists. I had a hard time distinguishing their color, but in the end I decided that it was red just as always.

Surely that red was the color of the innocent blood that I had shed in my anger and rage.

I looked down at the chains around my ankles and stared hard. After a long time, I decided that they were the color of blue.

That had to be the color of the tears that I had caused because of my selfishness and stupidity.

I turned my head in the direction that I always assumed was up and closed my eyes. I released a puff of breath before feeling the presence of someone in front of me.

Sakura stood there, glowing in an odd way. She looked down at me sadly and reached a hand out. She soon stopped and dropped her hand down. She then turned away, and the glow around her disappeared.

I didn't even bother trying to stop her. I had given that up a long time ago. I never could do anything in these odd dreams of mine.

"Saku hasu, saku hasu..."

I gave a sigh before muttering out with my lack of a voice, Who always seems to sing that song for me?

The ambiguous voice continued on with its gentle melody, new words adding themself in every once in a while.

I just relaxed myself as I listened to the calming melody. Once it disappeared, I opened my eyes up to see Sakura again, a horrified look on her face. I closed my eyes to spare myself from that bloodstained body of hers, but the image was to be always seared into my memory.

"Someone like you shouldn't close your eyes to this."

I opened my eyes to see Itachi-senpai standing there just as he was in my last memory of him. I opened my mouth to give some sort of pathetic reply, but he simply shook his head.

Itachi-senpai turned away and looked up towards the endlessly stretching blackness. He turned into crows just as black as my surroundings and disappeared silently. He typically had something else to say, but I guess that my mind was just bored of me ignoring the same old things.

In his place, Shisui-senpai stood with his mangekyō sharingan activated. He looked to me just as he did before he died. "You shouldn't ever run away from your sins."

I gave a silent snort. Isn't that ironic considering you committed suicide to get away from your clan and the sins arising there? Though since I'm putting words into your mouth, there's no wonder it's ironic.

He disappeared into the blankness when he closed his eyes and shook his head as if he was disappointed.

Coldness swept over my body, causing me to shiver. I curled myself into an uncomfortable ball and stared ahead blankly.

That's when the routine changed...

"Hey... Haruno-kun..."

I flinched and turned my head around to see the injured Uzumaki-kun behind me.

He opened his mouth to say something, but blood came out instead. He collapsed soon after into the darkness, never to be seen again.

Despite myself, I reached out to try to save him. I failed, of course. I always did...

"Didn't I teach you teamwork?"

I swallowed the lump of my throat and refused to turn my eyes to the man that was surely standing just outside of my vision.

"Teammates don't allow this to happen..." The illusion of my sensei mumbled softly.

I closed my eyes and gathered up my courage. I turned my head towards the voice and looked at the gory sight before my body. I flinched upon seeing my entire team dead in a field of blood-stained white lotuses.

Even after those bodies disappeared, the flowers remained. The red on the flowers spread rapidly and began to dye everything with its color. That red quickly darkened though and turned black all the same.

I stayed still for a moment as I embraced the darkness. I opened my eyes again soon after as the sound of the ocean filled my ears. What's this?

"Wake up, please..."

I stood up and looked around questioningly. Sakura...?

"Ren, it's time to wake up."

I can't, I thought sadly, my body already starting to sag back down in defeat.

"Wakey-wakey Haruno-kun!"

My head lifted back up as my brow furrowed. Uzumaki-kun?

"Hn. Get up weirdo."

Ugh, Uchiha... I thought with slight annoyance. Nevertheless, a small smile broke out onto my lips.

"Ren, dinner is ready. It's time to get up and eat."

Then shake me awake. It's not like I'm asking you to rouse the dead here. I took a moment to pause and consider if I was actually dead and facing some sort of odd hellscape. This is pretty tame for hell. I could probably get used to this...

"Ren, I'm going to deck you."

Ah, my loving sister... I thought as I grinned widely.

"Ren! Get up!"

Just punch me already then. There's nothing I can do from here, I answered internally with a shrug. I sat back down, confident that I would be awoken soon enough.

"There's nothing you can do because you're too much of a coward to change anything."

I flinched at the sound of my own voice criticizing me.

"You can't change anything because you stupidly stand aside. You're too pathetic and weak to possibly change yourself."

"Come on Ren, please wake up. I don't want to actually punch you..."

Sakura... I'm sorry. I really can't do anything for myself. I am truly pathetic and weak...

"How could you even think of becoming a shinobi if you can't even protect yourself, much less others?! All you do is hurt other people! You know that!"

I was just protecting Sakura! So just leave me alone! I screamed in my mind.

"You were too weak to fight off your rage! You went off and hurt how many people, Sakura included?!"

Go away! I demanded as my eyes began to burn.

"Make me!"

I felt my lips quiver. I knew that I couldn't just get all of my negativity to go away that easily.

"Tch. No wonder everything you touch is tainted and destroyed."

I put my hands over my ears and just wished to suffer in the silence once more. I didn't want to hear myself anymore...

"Do you really think that will stop me so easily?!"

I knew it wouldn't, but as I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, I hoped beyond all hope that it would solve my problem for me.

"Coward! Weakling! Pathetic bug!"

Just leave me alone, I thought with an inaudible whimper as I crouched down into a ball.

"Idiotic fool-"

"Ren. Wake up."

My eyes shot open as I sat up quickly. I looked around wildly for the man whose voice bounced around my head.

"Hey, Ren? Are you okay?" Sakura asked me gently as she put her hand on my shoulder.

"I-I..." I gave the room one more scan with my eyes before shakily nodding. "Yeah, of course. Hey, there haven't been any weird-looking crows hanging around, have there?"

"Weird-looking crows...?" Uzumaki-kun repeated questioningly.

"Uh, n-no. Nevermind," I muttered as I got out of the futon. I shivered at the coldness that I felt and briefly wondered if I was still having one of my extremely realistic dreams.

"Are you alright, Ren?" Sakura asked as she looked up at me worriedly.

"I think that juice pouch fucked with my dreams," I replied honestly as I looked out the window. I figured that about half an hour had past despite the fact it felt like years in my mind.

Sakura gave a hum. Her face suddenly exploded with realization. "Oh yeah! You aren't really supposed to drink those before sleeping."

I gave laugh. "I love how nonchalant you are about it. I mean, it's not like I'll wake up and blow the entire house up or anything."

Her face then turned blank. "Oh yeah... I forgot about that..."

"You blew up a house?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

"Okay, in fairness to me, I was never told putting a candle near a natural source of gas caused explosions," I explained.

"Not until you caused one at least..." Sakura mumbled as she looked away from me.

I pursed my lips. "At least Hokage-sama was nice enough to have that wood-loving ANBU guy rebuild our entire house for free."

Kakashi-sensei perked up a bit. "Wood-loving?"

"Yeah..." I said as I narrowed my eyes at the ceiling. "I think it was his kekkei genkai or something, but he had mokuton, which isn't really something around these days. Anyways, he rebuilt our entire house in about thirty seconds." I waved the incident out of mind.

"And then he also rebuilt all of our wood furniture too," Sakura pipped up.

I gave a nod of approval.

"Shouldn't the explosion have killed you?" Uchiha asked, surprising me on his knowledge of combustion.

I blinked a few times before grinning happily. "Needless to say, the entire house wasn't just full of gas. It just so happened that I could smell something off on one of my weekly kitchen raids-"

"Don't you mean nightly?" Sakura interrupted.

"On one of my nightly kitchen raids," I corrected as I looked at her with annoyance, "So I decided to find the smell. I put my candle near the source of the leak by accident and ended up blowing myself halfway across the room. Because the gas hadn't spread all over the house, it gave me enough time to run around like a chicken with my head cut off whilst screaming bloody murder. And that's how I saved my family before the house exploded." I gave a nod of approval with my hands on my hips as I finished my tale.

"It wouldn't have happened if you didn't cause it in the first place," Sakura said bluntly.

"Yeah, well if even a spark of electricity went off, it would have blown up our house either way. At least I found it early," I replied optimistically.

"Yeah... early..." Sakura muttered as she looked away from me.

"Just because I saved everyone and you didn't, doesn't mean you should be bitter. I just can't help it that I managed to find a problem and solve it," I boasted with a grin.

She punched me across the face. "Blowing up the house wasn't the right solution to the damn problem, idiot!"

I groaned as I laid across the cold floor. "This floor is a nice floor and all, but I would like it so much more if it was the same temperature as my blankets."

"Man, these are really warm!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he felt my covers. He then narrowed his eyes at my futon and added, "...And dirty..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry that they're not in to your standards, I-Like-To-Sleep-In-Forests-san," I mocked as I stood up and brushed my clothes off.

"Hey!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed with a blush.

"He has a point," Uchiha agreed as he stared at Uzumaki-kun with a smirk.

"No, he does not!" Uzumaki-kun yelled.

"Naruto, we all know you've been sleeping in the forest once you drain yourself of chakra," Sakura said as she put her hands on her hips.

I gave a nod of approval.

He huffed in reply and crossed his arms. "At least it's nice out there."

"Can't argue with you there," I said with a shrug and a small nod.

"Is he up?" Tsunami-san questioned with a kind smile as she opened the door to the room.

"Ah, yes he is," Kakashi-sensei said as he got to his feet. "I'm sorry for making you wait."

"It's no problem," she replied as she moved away from the door to allow him through.

I stood up and stretched before heading towards the doorway. "I'm sorry for not helping you today."

"You needed your rest, and now you need your food," she said kindly as she patted my head.

"Man, I'm starving!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he and my other two teammates followed after me to the dinning room.

I smirked. "Aren't you always?"

"Wha- No!" He replied, his voice cracking a bit at the sudden denial.

I bit my lip to hold back my laughter as I took a spot at the table. I watched everyone else take their seats and happily thanked the gods for my meal. I then proceeded to eat all of my food as fast as possible. I was hungry, give me a break.

After that dinner, everyone went about on their own way.

I helped Tsunami-san with the dishes before heading off to my futon. I snuggled into it and was glad that Kakashi-sensei didn't strike up a conversation. I peacefully drifted off into a deep sleep.


	10. Chapter Ten

"So... Should we see if they died?" I asked as I finished eating my breakfast.

Kakashi-sensei looked over at me in confusion. "Who?"

"Uzumaki-kun and the Uchiha," I replied as if it should have been obvious, which it really should have been. "Uchiha hasn't been eating as much food as he should have, and Uzumaki-kun has been running his chakra down to a surprising low. For all we know, those two could be lying dead somewhere in the forest."

"Ren!" Sakura barked at me. Ah, that's right. She didn't like me talking about Uchiha in that manner.

"Sorry, but it really has been bugging me for a while," I explained as I tilted my head towards her a bit.

She gave a sigh at that and crossed her arms. "You worry over the weirdest things."

"Shall we check on them then?" Kakashi-sensei suggested.

"Hm... Tazuna-san, could you perhaps wait a bit longer before going to the bridge today?" I requested.

"I guess so. Please don't take too long," he replied.

"Thank you," I said with great relief. I then turned my attention to Kakashi-sensei. "Yeah, let's check on them. We could also see their progress while we're at it."

He gave a nod of approval. "Whenever you two are ready."

I glanced over at Sakura, who was ready to see Uchiha. I chuckled as I stood. "Are you ready, sensei?"

"Yeah," Kakashi-sensei replied simply as he stood up with the use of his crutches.

"Then, let's go," I said as I headed towards the door. I held it open for the jônin and my sister before quickly following after them to the forest nearby.

"Where did Naruto go this time...?" Kakashi-sensei asked as we made it to the area where the blonde was supposed to be.

"How should we know?" I muttered as I looked around for the knucklehead.

"Pushing himself beyond his limit, going out by himself again last night..." Kakashi-sensei noted aloud, obviously a bit annoyed with the boy.

"And at breakfast time, Sasuke-kun said he was going for a walk, and he disappeared too!" Sakura complained.

That's when the three of us paused in our tracks. A kunai had been thrown at the ground in front of us, causing all of us to look up at the direction where it came from.

Uzumaki-kun was on a high branch, obviously worn out from his intense training. He was all sweaty and dirty, and in desperate need of a bath.

I bit my lip to fend off thoughts about how amazing it'd be if he were to beat me up with all that grime on him, which would infect my wounds for sure and cause a bigger, longer-lasting pain.

"Naruto can climb all the way up there?" Sakura asked in shock.

"Well?! Well?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled down to us. "Did you see? Look at how high I can go!" He began to stand up, but slipped somehow. "Whu-oh!"

"You idiot!" Sakura screamed.

"If he falls from that height...!" Kakashi-sensei yelled as he watched in horror as the boy began slipping.

I focused chakra to my feet and ran for the tree. I rushed up with all my might, only to pause in my tracks when he used chakra to attach himself to the bottom of the branch.

"Psych!" Uzumaki-kun yelled out, a large grin on his face.

With a blank face, I began to approach him with the strong urge to punch him to death. This dickhead...

"Hah hah! Gotcha, suckers!" Uzumaki-kun teased.

"You... You... almost gave me a heart attack, you ass!" Sakura yelled angrily, me nodding along.

I gave a sigh as I neared him. "You idio-"

The chakra holding Uzumaki-kun to the branch was no longer in tune with the tree, and the idiotic blonde began to fall for real.

"Hey! Twice is too much, Naruto! Stop messing around!" Sakura yelled.

Uzumaki-kun, meanwhile, was screaming like his life depended on it, which it kind of did...

I twisted my feet to the side and extended my arms out so I could have caught him had he passed me by.

Uchiha had it covered though. He quickly came from wherever he was training and grabbed ahold of one of Uzumaki-kun's ankle, preventing the blonde from falling any closer to his death. "You loser."

"Sasuke!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed in shock.

"Yesss! Sasuke-kun saves the day! He gives me shivers!" Sakura cheered happily.

I gave a small sigh as I walked over to the branch they were on. I got on the other side of Uchiha and helped him lift the idiot back onto the branch.

He laughed as he put his hands on his hips. "I got you good, huh?!"

"Don't try stupid tricks like that again. You really had us worried, idiot." I gently karate chopped his head to get my point across.

He looked down for a moment and seemed slightly ashamed of his actions. He then sprung back to life and exclaimed with a large grin, "You'll be fine!"

You... really are stupid... I thought as I gave a sigh. I shook my head, patted his shoulder, poked Uchiha's forehead, and then went back down to Kakashi-sensei and Sakura. "Let's go. They're obviously fine."

Sakura looked at me worriedly as I continued on with my hands in my pockets. "Are you okay?"

"I think that knucklehead is going to give me a heart attack by the time I'm fifteen..." I commented with a deadpanned expression.

Kakashi-sensei and my sister both chuckled and decided for themselves that I was fine.

I... wasn't. I was worried, and the best way I know how to deal with worry is to bury it deep in my mind until it caused me to explode. As you can probably tell, dealing with worry wasn't my speciality...

Before Tazuna-san, Sakura, and I left for the bridge, Kakashi-sensei had us help him with his training. And by help him, I mean we literally sat on his back in order to create some intense weight for him to test his muscle strength against.

"196... 197... 198..." Kakashi-sensei counted as Sakura and I played janken pon silently.

"I keep meaning to ask you..." Tazuna-san said hesitantly as he looked down at the silver-haired jônin, "You know I duped you about how dangerous this mission was to get you to come here... So why do you stay?"

Kakashi-sensei paused for a moment before quoting in a soft tone, "To know what is right and choose to ignore it is the act of a coward. Like master, like man!"

I felt my cheeks heat up at those words and ignored the smirk Sakura gave me. I quickly shoved my scissors forwards to cut her paper and allow me to win.

She frowned and glared at me immediately afterwards.

I was the one to smirk until shoved her fingers forwards as if she was going to poke my eyes out. I yelped as my body instinctively moved off of Kakashi-sensei's.

The man gave an aggravated sigh and said, "Ren, please stop squirming. The faster I finish, the faster you get to help out with the bridge."

"Sorry sensei," I mumbled as I got back onto his back.

He cleared his throat before continuing on with his index finger push-ups. "199... Anyways, those are the teachings of some of our previous Hokages. This is the shinobi way of life... True shinobi do not merely dance to the tune of whoever pays the piper. ...200..."

I gave a soft hum before Kakashi-sensei had us get off of him. I watched as he flexed the muscles in his hand. Then, I turned my attention over to Sakura, who was preoccupied with looking out of the window towards the area Uzumaki-kun and Uchiha were.

"Alright, let's get going," Tazuna-san said, snapping Sakura and I to attention.

"Yes sir," I said as I got ready to work on the bridge again that day.

It wasn't that hard of a day, and when we got home dinner was great, except for the fact that Uzumaki-kun and Uchiha weren't there to eat.

I huffed as everyone sat down to eat while pretending that the two boys that were supposed to be there weren't. "Where the fu-"

Kakashi-sensei shot me a glare as he casually motioned to Inari-kun.

"-udge are they?" I finished as I glared at the door.

"I know that bad word already," Inari-kun commented to me.

I gave a laugh as I put my hands on his shoulders. I then grinned at him despite the worry that made my eyebrows scrunch up. "No you don't. And if you ever do learn it, you don't want to find out what it is by mistake because you mentioned it in front of your parents." I shivered as I remembered the awful sight of my parents' lips touching.

Just then, the door opened and gained everyone's attention.

Uchiha was assisting Uzumaki-kun with walking. He looked a bit dirtied and worn out, but that paled in comparison to Uzumaki-kun's state.

Man, I would sure like to be in Uzumaki-kun's position. Think of that, me all beat up and out of strength. That would be grea- Wait a second... I felt a wide grin grow on my face as I closed my eyes and got comfortable in my seat. It would be even better because Sakura would hit me for being all over her man! Why the hell couldn't I have been the idiot that couldn't climb trees with lackluster chakra control?!

"So, you're finally back!" Tazuna-san announced, gaining my focus. "You look like something the cat dragged in!"

Uchiha released his clan-famous 'hn' before he softly scolded Uzumaki-kun, "I told you if you didn't take a break, you'd wear yourself out, you dope."

Uzumaki-kun gave a single, rather pain-filled laugh. "Both of us... we made it to the top of the tree!"

"Good! Naruto, Sasuke, starting tomorrow, you two can help protect Tazuna-san," Kakashi-sensei said.

"1000¥ that something interesting will happen tomorrow," I whispered to Kakashi-sensei. I would have tried swindling my sister into it, but I knew Kakashi-sensei was more likely to take my bet.

The man hummed softly as Uzumaki-kun cheered about finally being able to take part in protecting the old man. He finally nodded. "Okay. I'll take your bet."

"All transactions will be finalized. There are no take backs, or withdrawals. Please verbally agreed to the terms of the contract," I said with a smirk as I looked at the man.

The silver-haired man looked at me suspiciously. "You're not going to do anything, are you?"

"Nope!" I replied cheerfully as I stuck my hand out for the man to shake. "Do we have a deal?"

He gave one more suspicious hum before shrugging and taking my hand.

"Kakashi-sensei! How could you?!" Sakura exclaimed as she looked over and saw our finalized deal.

"What?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You should never make bets with Ren! He's like the devil with betting! He'll rob you of house and home!" Sakura explained.

"That was one time. That old lady took my bet, and she lost. It's not my fault I drove her out of the village because she couldn't pay her debts," I objected.

"Who was it?" Uchiha asked.

"Some old lady named Tsunade, or something," I replied as I waved him off.

"You drove a sannin out of the village with gamble debts?!" Kakashi-sensei yelled at me, clearly appalled with my actions.

"Hey! If someone at the age of fifty or whatever can't tell if it's going to rain, then they deserve it! It was survival of the fittest at that point!" I objected as I slammed my fist down on the table.

"No, it wasn't! How much did she owe you anyways?" The man pressed.

"An arm, a leg, her first born child, the necklace she refused to part with, and exactly 112,685¥," I answered, making the man slap his face with the palm of his hand.

"You bet on children too?" He mumbled to himself.

"Hey, Shodai Hokage-sama gambled, and no one gave him shit about it," I said bitterly as I crossed my arms.

"You don't gamble on children!" Kakashi-sensei yelled.

"I can gamble on whatever I want! It's not like she'll have children at her age anyways," I commented with a sideways glare.

"Oi, oi. No need to be rude," Kakashi-sensei scolded.

"Whew...!" Tazuna-san interjected. "Well, I'm dirty, sweaty, and real worn out from all of the work on the bridge today, but construction is almost complete!"

"Father, you, Ren, and Naruto are three of a kind. Please don't work yourselves to death!" Tsunami-san said as she walked over with a new pot of tea.

Uzumaki-kun and Uchiha took their seats at the table as Tazuna-san agreed with his daughter.

"No promises," I replied to the woman with a lopsided grin.

Sakura gently punched the top of my head.

I chuckled softly before my eyes drifted around the table. My grin dropped upon seeing the tears falling from his eyes.

Uzumaki-kun noticed that Inari-kun was crying too and asked, "What's wrong?"

Inari-kun slammed his hands down on the table and yelled, "Why do you wear yourself out trying? No matter how hard you train, you'll never be a match for Gatô's thugs! You act all cool, and you talk all tough, but big, strong guys are always too much for people weaker than they are. They'll destroy you!"

Everyone was silent, staring at the boy in surprise.

Uzumaki-kun snapped back, "Shut up! I'm not you, and I'm not going to lose!"

"Just watching you ticks me off!" Inari-kun retaliated, "You go running your mouth when you don't know a thing! This isn't your town! And you don't know a thing about me. You're always clowning around and having fun. You don't know a thing about suffering or loneliness or what my life is like!"

I clenched my teeth as I watched Uzumaki-kun flinch. I knew that the blonde had it rough. I had seen the boy teased and beaten on multiple occasions, though I never exactly knew why. I leaned down in my seat and looked at the wooden table.

"So... You figure it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at your pity party?" Uzumaki-kun questioned before glaring fiercely at the young boy. "It takes a really big man to sit around and cry... You brat! You big baby!"

Inari-kun could only sob softly as those words hit him hard.

Uzumaki-kun silently got up and began walking away with his hands in his pockets.

"Naruto! You went too far!" Sakura yelled angrily at the blonde.

Silently, the tension of the room rose as Uzumaki-kun took his leave.

I felt my eye twitch as I closed my eyes. Calm down. Nothing will happen here. Everything is okay...

"That Naruto... What is he thinking?" Sakura growled angrily.

I sat up and scratched the back of my head. "Did you hear about the two thieves that stole a calendar? They each got six months."

Everyone stared at me blankly.

"Okay, I admit that was bad," I mumbled before sighing. "You know, it's at times like this I wish I had listened to what my mother always told me."

"What was that?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't listening," I replied bluntly as I looked at the man blankly.

That got the snickers going.

Since the tension was relieved, I was free to slip off to the roof. I closed my eyes as I leaned back on the rooftop. I listened to the waves of the ocean as the creatures of the nights made their special noises.

"May I join you...?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

I opened my eyes as I sat up. I looked around for the silver-haired jônin before noticing that he was sitting on the dock around Tazuna-san's house.

"You know, Naruto's kind of a brat, but he wasn't trying to be mean or hateful. He just... lacks finesse," Kakashi-sensei explained to the young boy.

I held in a snort as I laid back down, my hands behind my head. I stared up at the crescent moon as I kept listening in on the conversation.

"Tazuna-san told us about what happened to your father. Naruto grew up without a father, same as you... Actually, without any parents. He doesn't remember either one of them. Or had a single friend. His whole life is one big, painful memory," Kakashi-sensei said.

"R-really?" Inari-kun questioned.

"And in all the time I've known him, I've never seen him cry," Kakashi-sensei noted, "Or use his troubles as an excuse to sulk or be a coward. Not once."

You haven't exactly known him for long, now have you? I thought with a subtle smirk.

"He always tries his hardest, hoping someone will notice and give him a kind word or a pat on the back," Kakashi-sensei said, voice hinting at something deeper he was thinking of. "That's his dream, and he's risked his life for it. I think one day, he must have just gotten fed up with crying. He understands what it means to be strong. He knows what it costs and what it's worth... just as your father did. Naruto probably understands you and knows how you feel better than any of the rest of us."

"What?" Inari-kun asked, surprise clear in his voice.

"He can't leave you alone because you've gotten under his skin," Kakashi-sensei explained, a smile in his voice.

Inari-kun didn't give a reply, but it was obvious that he had found a new strength.

I gave a small sigh as I climbed into the house through the window. I navigated my way to the room that Sakura occupied. I knocked on the door and gave a small smirk towards the disappointed look she gave me.

"What is it?" She asked with crossed arms.

"What's your opinion of Uzumaki-kun?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest.

She looked towards the ground for a moment, her green eyes holding in some mixed emotions. "I used to think that if he had his way, I'd never find love or happiness. He seemed to ruin everything to me... He probably enjoys torturing me, or so I thought. He doesn't understand me at all, and I couldn't stand to be anywhere near him... But now... He has matured, even if it's only a little bit. He's still stupid at times, but still..."

"Apparently, he grew up parent-less and alone. I never knew, you know. No one would ever tell me when I asked," I told her softly.

Her eyes suddenly widened as if some puzzle in her mind finally solved itself. "That's right...!"

"What's right?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

She pulled me into her room and sat down on her futon. "One time, I told Sasuke-kun that Naruto was childish and annoying because he grew up without parents to teach him right from wrong. Sasuke-kun got angry at me and said, "being scolded by your folks doesn't even compare to being lonely." Sasuke-kun must have known that Naruto grew up without parents, but..." She trailed off as she looked down solemnly. "That still doesn't explain why he said that to me..."

"Sakura..." I muttered as a shadow hid my eyes away. "Sasuke's clan was killed off. He is the only survivor of the massacre."

She gasped as she looked up at me with those wide, green eyes of hers. "A-are you serious?"

I gave a simple nod. "Itachi, the person you mentioned the other day, was a part of that clan. He was Sasuke's older brother..."

She gave a pained look to me. "O-oh... That's why you left, isn't it? It's not that Itachi was bad, but that he died..."

"Just... Don't mention Itachi to Sasuke anymore, okay?" I asked as I walked to the door.

"W-wait!" She yelled at me, making me pause. "Did...? I mean, you don't really have to answer, but..."

I turned my head back to her as my hand rested on the doorknob.

"Did you get your masochism from Itachi's death?" She asked softly.

I looked down at my feet as no answer came from my lips. I turned my head back towards the door and finally forced out, "It was a factor..."

She didn't say anything as I left.

I went back to my shared room and immediately spotted Kakashi-sensei walking around without his crutches. "You sure you should be doing that?"

He looked over at me with both annoyance and amusement. "I'm all healed up now, Okaa-san."

"Still, you shouldn't push yourself. If you do, you'll just end up in bed again," I scolded lightly as I went over to my futon.

"I think I know by now when I'll push myself too hard," he replied, an eye-roll clear in his voice.

I got under the covers as I said, "I never said you didn't, but please keep it in mind."

He gave a small huff. "Why do you care so much?"

"You're my sensei. Why wouldn't I care?" I asked back after a very long and awkward pause.

"Yeah, I guess that's right," he mused aloud.

"Goodnight," I muttered with closed eye.

"Goodnight," he replied softly before finally turning out the light. His feet padded across the wooden floor before he laid down.

And with that, the night ended peacefully and quietly.


	11. Chapter Eleven

"Well! Please take care of Naruto!" Kakashi-sensei said to Tsunami-san as we began to depart for the bridge. "He's worn himself out. I doubt he'll be able to move for the rest of the day."

"We're off, Tsunami," Tazuna-san said as he walked ahead of everyone.

Sakura and Uchiha walked behind him while I took up the back with Kakashi-sensei. Even if I played it cool, I was still worried that Kakashi-sensei would suddenly fall over on his face.

"Bye," Tsunami-san replied with a kind wave.

"So, is the almighty Uchiha Duckbutt going to help, or is he too concerned with looking pretty?" I asked as I glared holes through the back of Uchiha's head.

Sakura growled as she turned around, her fist clenched and ready to hit me.

Uchiha released a 'hn', making Sakura pause. "Of course, I'll be helping. Just who do you think I am?"

"The feared and almighty Duckass of the Uchiha Clan," I replied as I gave a mock bow while also dodging a hit from both my sensei and Sakura. "What else would I think of you?"

He looked back at me with the most unamused look I had ever seen in my entire life.

"Hey! That's pretty good! You've made it into my record book!" I chirped before Sakura managed to nail my face. I laughed cheerfully as I kept going along like my nose wasn't bleeding and bent a little bit in the wrong angle.

"I should really fix that..." Kakashi-sensei mumbled as he cupped my nose before suddenly snapping it back into place. "Do you still have the handkerchief I gave you?"

I pulled it out of ninja pouch and waved it in front of his face. "It's clean, so are you finally going to take it back?"

"Yes," he answered as he took it from me. He then immediately shoved it on my nose and said, "Clean the blood off your face and keep it until it's free of said blood."

"This is going to be a running gag now, isn't it?" I mumbled as I began wiping said blood off.

"Probably," he answered with a shrug.

Well, isn't that wonderful? I asked myself as sarcastically as possible.

"His nose wasn't broken, was it?" Tazuna-san questioned as he looked back at us.

"No, though I originally thought it had broke too," Kakashi-sensei replied.

"Like I would give him the satisfaction of having a broken nose," Sakura said with an angry huff.

"Not unless I really deserved it," I chimed in with a grin.

"What do you mean by that?" Tazuna-san questioned.

"For example-"

"Ren... I will make you suffer..." Sakura threatened, cutting me off rather rudely.

"Hah! No you won't!" I exclaimed with my hands on my hips.

She glared at me hard for a moment before suddenly smiling. "As I happen to recall, you have a certain mental scar that involves two individuals that we are very close to..."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "I'm calling your bluff..."

"Do you really want to? I mean, I'm sure they won't have any problems with doing it again. I mean, they do it all the time," she said, her smile steadily darkening.

I remained silent as I finally realized she was threatening me with our parents. "You monster."

"Who was it that taught said monster everything she knows?" She asked with an innocent smile.

"You traitorous monster," I corrected, a large amount of respect adding itself to the pile of respect I already had for her.

"What are you two talking about?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Ren has this weird phobia of-"

"Oh look! The bridge!" I screamed, interrupting my sister. "We better hurry and start the day!"

Everyone, save for my twin, looked at me weirdly.

I kept my awkward face on as I picked up my pace and rushed towards the bridge. "Fuck that tree. Fuck that rock. Fuck the water levels. Fuck that unconscious guy on the ground. Fuck that- Wait what?" I stopped and looked at the unconscious guy that fully entered my vision range. "Kakashi-sensei! You owe me 1000¥!"

"No, I don't!" He yelled back at me.

"The fuck you don't! There's an unconscious guy here, and I'm betting there's more!" I yelled as I rushed over to the unconscious man. I kneeled down to make sure he wasn't dealing with any fatal injuries.

The rest of the group caught up with me before Kakashi-sensei asked, "Is he okay?"

I gave a nod before looking towards the end of the bridge. "There's more. I think they're here..."

"What's going on here?!" Tazuna-san demanded to know as he looked around at all his unconscious co-workers.

Man, are you blind, deaf, or dumb? I asked in my mind as I gave Tazuna-san a blank stare.

"They're coming!" Kakashi-sensei announced, making everyone surround Tazuna-san.

I just stood there, not quite feeling like drawing a kunai or shuriken. I wanted my 1000¥ before I did anything else.

"Kakashi-sensei, is this...? That man we met... His "Kirigakure" no Jutsu... Isn't it?" Sakura asked worried.

Uchiha began shaking at that revelation, though this time it was clear he was shaking for a different reason.

"Been a while, Kakashi... And I see you've got those brats tagging along, just like last time. And the little boy is trembling again, poor thing," Momochi taunted through the mist.

"Permission to flip him off?" I asked Kakashi-sensei, who was on the other side of Tazuna-san.

"Denied," Kakashi-sensei replied.

I rose both of my middle fingers high in the air. "Fuck yourself, you coward that has to hide in the mist with his little servant!"

"Ren! What the hell?!" Sakura screeched at me.

"...I really hate you," Momochi finally said, making throw a fist up in the air.

"Victory!" I cheered for everyone to hear. I then slapped my hands together and said, "Alright. Now that that's out of the way, we can freely kick their asses."

"Moving on..." Zabuza muttered before his mizu bunshins surrounded us, one of them between Tazuna-san and Kakashi-sensei.

"I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch," Uchiha admitted, making a mizu bunshin chuckle.

"Go ahead, Sasuke," Kakashi-sensei said, a smile clear in his voice.

Just as the mizu bunshins began to move, Uchiha killed them all with the two kunais he was wielding.

"Well! My mizu bunshins were obviously no match for you!" Momochi exclaimed as he and his masked friend made their appearance at the edge of the bridge. "It seems the brats have matured, quite a bit, into worthy rivals... Eh, Haku?"

"Indeed," the fake Kirigakure ANBU replied.

I released a gasp. "Hey Sakura, remember when I had a newt named Haku?"

"Now is not the time," she replied while failing at holding back her snicker.

"It's the perfect time," I objected as I bit my lower lip. "Okay, so I once had a newt named Haku, and-"

"Looks like I was right," Kakashi-sensei interrupted as he pushed me away from the front of the group. "Our mysterious masked friend is playing on Zabuza's team."

"He has nerve, showing up like this!" Sakura yelled as she pointed at the masked boy angrily.

"This one's mine," Uchiha said, catching my sister's attention. "That was quite a show you put on before, but we're on to you now... you're a big phoney! Nothing but a clown wearing a mask!"

"Sasuke-kun's so cool!" Sakura exclaimed as she looked at Uchiha with great admiration.

I want to be praised, too, I thought as I pouted and looked over at my sister.

"Impressive kid, isn't he?" Haku asked, "Even if your mizu bunshins have only a tenth of the strength of the originals, it's amazing he was able to do so well."

"But we're still on the offensive. Go!" Momochi demanded.

"Yes, sir," Haku replied before disappearing in a swirl of water. He appeared before Uchiha with his choice of weapons, senbons, in hand. His senbon clashes against Uchiha's kunai several times as the two got further and further away from us.

"Divide and conquer," I noted aloud before looking over at Kakashi-sensei. "What shall we do?"

"We have to cover Tazuna-san. Take those sides, and stay close!" He ordered as he pointed to opposite sides of the bridge builder. "Let Sasuke handle Haku."

"Yes, sir!" Sakura exclaimed as she got into her position.

"Divide and conquer is going to kick us in the ass later," I grumbled as I finally pulled out a kunai and got into my position.

"I don't want to have to kill you, but..." Haku said as he and Uchiha were in a deadlock, his one hand in the sign for summoning one's chakra. "You probably won't leave quietly, will you?"

"Don't be stupid," Uchiha tried taunting.

"Just as I thought... However, you won't be able to match my speed for long, and I've laid the groundwork for two attacks," Haku stated.

"Two attacks?" Uchiha repeated questioningly.

"No, just one!" I yelled back.

"Shut up, Ren!" Sakura demanded.

"Firstly, there's the water all around us. Secondly, I've trapped one of your hands while parrying this move, which leaves you only one hand free to defend yourself from my attacks!" Haku declared before making multiple one-handed signs. He then tapped his foot against the ground and surrounded Uchiha with a bunch of water needles.

"I want to learn that..." I mumbled as my sister screamed Uchiha's name.

As Haku moved back, Uchiha darted into the air and threw several kunais, causing Haku to retreat even farther down the bridge.

"You're not that fast," Uchiha taunted as he got behind Haku. "Now you're the one who has to worry about defending yourself from my attacks." He swung his right arm around to try and hit Haku with his kunai, but his arm was blocked by Haku's own arm. Uchiha improvised and threw the kunai he was holding, which ended up missing its target. He didn't seem to mind as Haku ducked down, right into Uchiha's left foot. Uchiha kicked Haku quite a distance and said, "You're fast. I'm faster."

"You had that coming for underestimating my team..." Kakashi-sensei said. "...and for name-calling. He may not look like much-"

I snorted.

"But Sasuke here is the top-rated rookie from all of Konohagakure," Kakashi finished. "And Sakura here is our sharpest mind. And last, but not least... Let's not forget our own comedy ninja - the maverick show-stopper, the one and only Naruto!"

"Wait. What about me?" I asked as I pointed towards myself.

"Well, you're..." Kakashi-sensei trailed off and looked away. "You're you."

I stared at him with a deadpanned expression and said, "If it's ever my job to save you from hell, I'm going to laugh at your suffering before even thinking about helping your ass."

"Duly noted," Kakashi-sensei replied as if he was expecting that.

Bitch, I thought before looking down at my feet blankly. Though... Is there really nothing good he can say about me? Am I truly that bad, not only as a shinobi, but also as a person? Is there something wrong with me? ...Hah! What am I thinking?! Of course there's something wrong with me! Of course... there is...

Momochi gave a laugh, but I didn't bother to see what was so funny. "Haku... Do you understand, if this goes on, you could end up dying at the hands of the very person you sought to spare?"

"What a pity..." Haku replied before performing a technique that managed to get surprised reactions out of my sister and sensei.

I still didn't look as tears had began to run down my face. I just clenched my teeth and lowered my head as I tried to bury those stupid feelings of mine. I wiped my face off with my arm before taking in a shaky, but silent breath. It doesn't matter if there's nothing good about me in Kakashi-sensei's eyes. As long as I'm good in Sakura's eyes...

Kakashi-sensei suddenly began to rush towards Uchiha and Haku, but was intercepted by Zabuza.

"Hey Sakura... What Kakashi-sensei said... Would you describe me in the same way?" I asked with a rather dead tone.

She stayed silent for a moment before replying, "Well, yeah. You're... you."

I clenched my teeth at the revelation. "What would be... not me?"

"Um... I guess you'd have to drop the masochism, sarcasm, and dark undertones to whatever you randomly blurt out," she said after a small pause.

My grip on my kunai tightened as I decided that I'd just have to hide even more of myself away from the world.

Uchiha suddenly released an extremely pained noise.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi-sensei yelled.

"Any sudden moves, and I'll kill the other three!" Momochi threatened.

"You...!" Kakashi-sensei growled.

Cue another other pained scream that came from Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed worriedly.

Uchiha only continued to yell with pain.

"Tazuna-san, I'm sorry... But I'm going to have to leave you for just a little bit," Sakura said, a strong determination in her voice.

"Go ahead. Ren will protect me," Tazuna-san replied.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed as she threw a kunai towards whatever was on the other side of the bridge. She gasped, which was immediately followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Oh, she's gotten significantly better at hitting her targets, I thought happily.

"Who...?" She asked, making my happiness dive off a cliff into the pits of confusion.

An explosion sounded on the other side of the bridge before a very familiar idiot yelled out, "Uzumaki Naruto! At your service!"

He can hit a target?! I internally screamed.

"Here I am, to save the day. You know how the story goes. Things look bleak... Till the hero arrives - and then - pow! - bye-bye bad guys!" Uzumaki-kun cheered.

That plan would have been significantly better had you stayed hidden and finished the job from the shadows, I thought as I casually looked to the side with a hint of smugness.

"Naruto!" Sakura cheered, happy for once in her life to see the blonde knucklehead.

Momochi laughed before throwing several shuriken at Uzumaki-kun.

"Blast!" Kakashi-sensei yelled in reply.

As it turns out, no one needed to worry because Haku threw his senbons at the shurikens, disabling both attacks from working.

"Haku... What are you doing?" Momochi questioned.

"Zabuza-sama, please let me have this boy. I want to fight him in my own way," Haku replied.

"So, you want me to keep my hands off him, eh, Haku? How charmingly naive of you... as usual..." Momochi commented.

"Yo! Sasuke! I'm here to rescue you!" Uzumaki-kun suddenly exclaimed.

"Y-you doofus! No stealth... No caution... And you call yourself a ninja?! And now you've gotten yourself trapped in here with me..." Uchiha trailed off as he released an aggravated noise. "Just do what you want. I don't really care."

"On, fine! I went through hell to rescue you, and this is the thanks I get?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled back.

Oh, yeah. Hell. You probably walked two meters. Must've been the hardest two meters you'll ever walk in your life, I thought sarcastically, keeping my mouth shut for the time being.

After standing around for a few minutes, Kakashi-sensei suddenly released a surprised noise. "I never imagined that anyone could master such a technique at so young and age!"

To that, Momochi decided to laugh.

"Such a technique?" Sakura repeated questioningly.

"It's a kekkei genkai - a skill that can be passed from one generation to the next!" Kakashi-sensei replied. "A genetic trait... running through the bloodlines of those of the purest shinobi pedigree... Some of the most extraordinary techniques are handed down from generation to generation solely on that basis."

"You mean..." Sakura trailed off.

"Precisely... It's of the same order of skill as my sharingan, but even my sharingan can't copy, mimic, or break this boy's kekkei genkai!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed.

"What if you analyzed it and found an opening?" I finally suggested.

"Oh, I forgot that you were here," Kakashi-sensei muttered. "You're typically significantly louder and sassier."

"I know..." I replied softly.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Don't you dare lose to a person like him!" Sakura suddenly yelled.

"Stop encouraging them, Sakura!" Kakashi-sensei yelled. "Even if we knew a way to counter his technique, your teammates still wouldn't be up to the task of defeating that boy."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"To make a long story short, they'd have to kill Haku," I answered as soon as the rouge ninja started his giggling.

"Those two haven't yet developed the psychological stretch to turn their heart to ice and take a human life. That boy has lived with the kind of emotional anguish that prepares him to be a true shinobi. No true shinobi could ever be born of a place like your village, a place of weakness... of peace. You don't live with death, or grow up needing to kill to ensure your own survival. Because of this they are not able to learn the most important "experience of killing"!" Momochi mocked.

"Kakashi-sensei! What do we do?!" Sakura yelled.

I grit my teeth before just giving a sigh. "What a drag..."

"Ren! Now's not the time!" She snapped at me.

Ah, right. I can't be sadistic, sarcastic, or masochistic, I thought before internally scolding myself.

"You'll forgive me if I put an end to this...?!" Kakashi-sensei questioned, making Momochi chuckle.

"Going to use the sharingan? What a vulgar maneuver. So obvious, so lacking in finesse!" Momochi taunted.

"The sharingan eye!" Sakura exclaimed happily before Momochi darted for Kakashi-sensei.

I heard the sound of a kunai piercing through flesh and finally looked towards the battle to make sure Sakura wasn't injured in any way. I saw blood trailing down from Kakashi-sensei's right hand and yelled, "Oh, so I can't get a kunai stabbed into my hand, but you can?!"

Kakashi-sensei spared a split-second glance over at me and said, "Not the time." He then turned his attention back to Momochi with a hardened glare. "You can sneer all you want about my "lack of finesse," Zabuza... It doesn't change the fact that you're afraid of the sharingan. And of me."

Momochi gave a rather cruel chuckle. "A ninja's secret weapon should be employed judiciously, not displayed at random to every foe you face!"

"You should feel privileged. No one else has ever lived to see the sharingan a second time," Kakashi-sensei countered, "And no one will ever see it thrice!"

"Heh heh... By all means, defeat me, if you can," Momochi taunted. "You still won't have what it takes to kill Haku!"

"Sensei...!" Sakura said, her worry obviously spreading out to the silver-haired jônin.

"Since he was a toddler, I've beaten his fighting skills into him! Even in the face of unthinkable adversity, he has always prevailed," Momochi boasted like a proud father. "He's lost all regard for his own life and become a killing machine... A true shinobi. His skills surpass even my own. And he bears within him the formidable legacy of an inherited kekkei genkai! Thus, I have forged and carry with me a weapon of matchless quality and skill... Entirely unlike the scraps of trash that follow at your heels." Momochi finally pulled his kunai out of Kakashi-sensei's hand.

I sighed softly as I rolled my eyes. Please. Uchiha will pull through, and if he happens to fail, Uzumaki-kun will pick up the slack. He's the hero that will never back down, even in the face of overwhelming adversaries. That knucklehead will never let us down.

"Though... If that kid with the rip-off nokuton were to join in on the fight, things may get a little hairy," Momochi said, making me raise an scowl.

"Hey asshole! I developed my own jutsu in my own way! I don't need some damn mokuton to mess up my style!" I yelled as I pointed at him angrily.

Truth me told, I was always proud of my ability to make my own jutsu based on the flower I secretly enjoyed the most. I didn't want it to be compared with something that died out a long time ago, especially not when I find my lotuses to look significantly better.

"Is there anything duller than listening to someone else brag?" Kakashi-sensei interjected as he finally pulled up his headband, revealing his sharingan. "It's show time!"

"Perhaps you might hold off a moment, now that I've caught my breath. And - to borrow your own idiom - permit me one more boast. You turned a very pretty phrase at our last encounter... Frankly, I've been dying to steal it," Momochi admitted, making everyone slightly confused. "Something to the effect of, "Just so you know... The same spell won't work on me twice." Having had a chance to see it in action, I now have a thorough understanding of the arcane workings of your sharingan. There was far more to our previous battle than the apparently humiliating defeat I permitted you to hand me."

I gave a soft groan, bored already with this fight. Less talking, more action. It's not like there's an audience that needs to be filled in about this. Besides, we all know that Kakashi-sensei copied your jutsu while you were doing it and then put you under the illusion that he could see the future.

"Haku, who was hiding nearby, observed and studied every aspect of our fight, from beginning to end. Haku is extremely intelligent. For him, to see a technique is to analyze and understand it. And with that understanding, he can develop effective countermeasures," Momochi explained, making me realize I should have been the one fighting Haku and not Uchiha.

"Sakura! I'm counting on you to protect Tazuna-san!" Kakashi-sensei yelled as the fog got thicker once again.

Way to forget about me again... I thought bitterly as I stood on the other side of Tazuna-san.

"The air is crackling with his energy, Tazuna-san! Stay by my side!" Sakura exclaimed as she stood in front of the old bridge builder protectively, her kunai drawn.

"All right, Sakura...!" Tazuna-san replied. He was taking everything surprisingly well, especially with such intense anger and bloodlust in the air.

As the fog separated Kakashi-sensei from our views, the sound of metal hitting metal filled the air. It was clear that Kakashi-sensei was going to have some difficulties unless he pulled something amazing out of his ass.

"You repelled those nicely... No less than I'd expect of Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye," Momochi praised. "However... The next time you see me... It will still be the end. You've overestimated the value of your sharingan."

"What?" Kakashi-sensei asked in shock.

Momochi gave a soft chuckle. "You pretend it enables you to penetrate all... Yet..."

Ah, yes. He is clearly thinking back to the time Kakashi-sensei pretended that he could foresee Momochi's death, I noted as I stood silently, my eyes closed. I waited with bated breath as Momochi and Kakashi-sensei made their moves.

"But you've turned out to be a false prophet after all, Kakashi. You can neither read my mind nor the future," Momochi noted aloud, "In other words, your precious sharingan is just an elaborate hoax, a confidence trick you play in order to psych out your opponents. More precisely, it combines clarity of perception and insight on your own part with the ability to all but hypnotize those around you! Using those skills together, you are able to create your illusions through a combination of mimicry - from movements, to thoughts, to the skills of those you fight! Prancing around and acting like you can see the future!"

Oh gods, we really are going to have to listen to this drawn-out speech. And I thought Hokage-sama was bad, I thought before putting my hands on my hips. Oh, look at me. I'm Momochi Zabuza, and I have a big sword and ego to make up for my tiny dick. I like explaining things to my opponent who already knows about the way his own goddamn jutsu works just to piss everybody off. I internally clicked my tongue before hearing a soft chuckle in the back of my mind. I shook my head before getting into a protective stance once more.

"You analyse my superficial movements, copy them, and use the rapidity of the turnaround to induce fear and insecurity," Momochi continued, "Once you're certain you understand what's going on in my heart and mind, you calculate just what to say to bend my mind to your will, and then... You calculate when my insecurities have reached a fever pitch, and then you lay your trap. You use visual genjutsu to trick me into signalling what technique I'll use and how I'll be using it. And then, all you have to do is mimic it! Knowing that, it was simple to choose a countermeasure. First, I conceal myself within this thick mist and neutralize your visual acuity."

Kakashi-sensei made a surprised noise before skidding back, or so that's what I was able to come up with based on the noise coming in through the mist.

Momochi chuckled darkly. "With my own eyes closed, I eliminated the possibility of your hypnotizing me while we're in close proximity."

"But then, while I can't use my own eyes, neither can you!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed, trying to get the one-up like a moron.

"Ah, but you forget..." Momochi started.

"What?!" Kakashi-sensei demanded to know.

"I am trained in silent killing. My genius lies in the ability to hunt by sound alone!" Momochi finally yelled out.

So if Kakashi-sensei can't see you, nor hear you, then he's going to need to smell you. Touch is too risky, and it's not like he's going to taste your location, especially not with that mask on. I silently smirked as I figured out the counter-countermeasure needed to beat Momochi.

Said asshole appeared before me with his hand on his head cleaver.

I shook my index finger in disapproval before Kakashi-sensei appeared before me, like some kind of giant fucking idiot.

"Too late!" Momochi yelled before Sakura gave a loud scream. He began to swing his sword down towards my sensei when I finally made my move.

I slid between my sensei's legs as I threw my kunai towards Momochi's head. I threw two more kunais towards the opposite sides of him before teleporting myself to the kunai aimed at the man's head.

"That move-!" Kakashi-sensei cut himself off as I punched Momochi's nose as hard as I could, breaking it without a doubt.

"Son of a bitch!" Momochi cursed as he staggered back.

I smirked as I threw my kunai high into the air and teleported myself to it. I then threw four kunais down with four separate papers with their own seals on them squaring the man in. I then threw my kunai towards Kakashi-sensei and teleported myself there before slamming my hands into the ground, trapping Momochi for the time being. "You better do something fast, Kakashi-sensei."

"Tch. This again? Is it your only move?" Momochi growled at me as Kakashi-sensei got Sakura and Tazuna-san to retreat away from me.

"No, but it is useful when buying time," I replied with the fake smile I was going to use from then on.

"You seemed to have much looser reigns the last time I met you," he pointed out as he tried struggling out of the seals that had restrained the majority of his movements.

"True, but I need to seal those away," I explained as I tilted my head to the side a bit.

"You aren't like the others," he finally realized.

"But I'll pretend like I am just to make them happy," I replied softly.

"Heh. You really would have made for a good Kirigakure shinobi," he muttered to himself.

"No..." I muttered before straightening myself up as much as possible. "I've got the Will of Fire burning inside of me. It's not something your home country has. While Iwagakure has the Will of Stone, Kirigakure, Sunagakura, and Kumagakura don't have a will, a need to protect their villages and their citizens. At this point in time, none of you have the desire to see the village as a family, a family that must be protected at all costs."

"That is true. Though, it's something that could easily be beaten out of you," he replied menacingly.

"Not at the moment. I haven't made a seal for it yet, so you couldn't possibly hurt me without me feeling some sort of twisted pleasure from it," I explained as I looked to my side with a smile grin.

"I'm taking over from here," Kakashi-sensei stated as he jumped next to me. "You keep Sakura and Tazuna-san safe."

"Following orders like a dog from someone you're no doubt able to defeat. It really must bore you," Momochi stated, making me pause to look at him curiously. "If you have a side that enjoys pain, surely you must enjoy torture too."

I chuckled as I released him from my seals. "That part of me has been sealed up long ago. I'm no longer allowed to get joy out of seeing others in pain."

"That is what's holding you back," Momochi replied before Kakashi-sensei stepped in front of me.

"That's enough talk for now," Kakashi-sensei growled. "I won't allow you to manipulate my student any more!"

I felt myself smirk a bit at those words as I got up. "I'll leave this to you, sensei. Oh, and I'd recommend using your nose."

Kakashi-sensei straightened up a bit as he heard me depart to find my sister. He really didn't want me to be there for the fight, but for what reason I had no idea.

"Ren!" Sakura yelled, making me pause and look around.

I couldn't find her so I silenced my breathing and put both of my hands to the ground. I closed my eyes and tried to pinpoint exactly where she was through the thickness of the fog.

"Ren?!" She repeated, worry evident in her voice.

"That's your name, isn't it?"

I jolted before quickly jumping to my side. I slid a few meters away from my enemy before drawing out a kunai to defend myself with.

Momochi chuckled as he began approaching me with his head cleaver at his side, blood all over it's blade.

So Kakashi-sensei was reckless and got himself cut. It really is up to me then, I thought bitterly.

"Are you finally going to fight, boy?" Momochi demanded to know.

"It seems I have no choice but to clean up the mess left behind," I replied as I took up a defensive position.

"You won't defeat me, but it will be amusing to see your techniques," Momochi replied, a sadistic look in his eyes.

"Is that s-" I cut myself off as a feeling of overwhelming dread filled me. I watched Momochi flinch, so it became evident that he had felt it too. Was that Uchiha?! No, I felt Itachi-senpai's bloodlust, or what he claimed to be bloodlust, before, but that was significantly more... human. It really feels like a demon is over there. That leaves Uzumaki-kun as the source. Is this the reason the villagers always compared him to a demon? Did they know? And if so, why the hell did non-shinobi know about the demon, if it really is a demon?

"You know what's going on, don't you?" Momochi questioned, snapping me from my thoughts.

"No, but I can make conclusions like any other normal person," I replied like the sarcastic ass that I was. Shit. I need to tone that down. Sakura doesn't like it. When I get back to Konoha, my first priority is going to make a seal for that and my masochism.

"Well, you won't be jumping to conclusions when I'm done with you," Momochi growled before rushing at me.

I grinned sadistically as I lifted my finger up. "Feel that?"

Momochi made the foolish mistake of pausing. He suddenly raised his left foot off the ground while yelling, "No!" His right ankle was bit by a dog before several other dogs came out of the bridge to bite different parts of Momochi.

"When your eyes and your ears have let you down, you can always follow your nose!" Kakashi-sensei yelled out through the fog.

"I want ninja dogs too..." I mumbled as I stared at all the cute, but deadly animals with adoration.

"It worked because you shut your eyes in the mist. This conjuring is specifically designed for tracking," Kakashi-sensei explained as he approached Momochi and I, his figure just appearing as he continued on. "It's why I went out of my way to bleed a bit during both of our earlier encounters. The smell of my blood is all over you and your weapons, so thick... My little ninja pups couldn't miss it! Every dog has his nose... And they all know you stink! So... Who's enmeshed in whose spell now?"

"Did you really have it planned out from the beginning, or did you only come up with the idea after I suggested the nose part to you?" I asked as I stared at the man suspiciously.

"The fog is lifting," Kakashi-sensei continued, clearly ignoring me again, "I can see your future... Your future is death."

"You say my future is death...?" Momochi questioned before hardening his glare at my sensei. "I've had enough of your bluffs."

"Who's bluffing now? There's no way out. Face it. You're going to die," Kakashi-sensei said.

I looked between the two carefully, something feeling very off in the pit of my stomach. "Kakashi-sensei..."

"Zabuza... You've had your fun. You schemed your schemes... The day you deserted the Land of the Mist and became a turncoat and renegade, your name and your actions were reported to us at Konohagakure. We know all about the failed coup you and your followers staged, and about the attempt to assassinate the Mizukage, the leader of your people. You've been trying to raise funds for a second attempt, and just barely stayed a jump ahead of the shinobi hunters... Which is what brought you here. It's why you'd stood to work for a parasite like Gatô." Kakashi-sensei made three different hand signs before gripping his right forearm tightly with his left hand.

My eyes widened as I saw lightning form in his right palm. I couldn't believe that he concentrated his chakra so much, it was nearly visible. What the hell is that? I've never seen such a thing before. That kind of jutsu...

Momochi made a shocked noise himself. He didn't believe what he was seeing either.

That's when the sickening feeling crawled through my body again. "Kakashi-sensei...!"

"You're a loose cannon... The man you're trying to kill, Tazuna-san, is the heart and spirit of this place. And the bridge you're trying to prevent him from completing is the land's hope. You're willing to sacrifice this place and everyone in it, just to advance your own ambitions. That's not what a true shinobi does at all," Kakashi-sensei scolded, still paying no mind to me.

"Spare me the civics lesson and philosophy. I'm fighting for my own ideals. And I'm not about to stop," Momochi declared.

"There's something wrong..." I mumbled as I looked around wearily.

"I'll say this in certainty once more," Kakashi-sensei said.

"Huh?!" Momochi snapped.

"Give up..." Kakashi-sensei demanded. "Your future is death."

"Kakashi-sensei!" I screamed as the man began running forwards. I quickly performed several hand signs before slamming my hands into the ground. "Suiton: Suijinheki!" I watched as water began rising from the ground at a slower rate than I'd have preferred. I grit my teeth before pouring the majority of the chakra I had into the move. I felt a small sense of relief as Kakashi-sensei began slowing down, but that relief turned to horror as my water wall was turned into a large mirror. I watched a boy that had to have been the masked kid jump out from the mirror and in front of Kakashi-sensei's attack.

The silver-haired jônin's hand went right through Haku's heart, sealing the boy's fate.

I clenched my teeth as blood was splattered everywhere. I watched the dogs disappear before slowly shaking my head.

Haku coughed before shakily grabbing ahold of Kakashi-sensei's arm. "Zabuza-s-sama..."

"...You said my future was death..." Momochi gave a laugh. "But you missed again, Kakashi."

"You sick bastard..." I growled softly as I clenched my hand tightly around my kunai.

"That was brilliant Haku... I really did find a treasure in that gutter...! To think that he'd grant me this marvellous change in the end!" Momochi praised before swinging his sword at Kakashi-sensei and Haku. That piece of shit was going to cut through his own partner just to get to Kakashi-sensei.

The sharingan-wielder realized that too, as he grabbed the boy and began jumping back.

I threw my last teleportation kunai towards Momochi and gladly teleported myself towards the man that was ducking under my blade. I put all of my strength and remaining chakra into my hand so that I could punch his head. I growled as he put his sword up to block my fist, but it shattered under my rage. "You son of a bitch!"

The man's eyes widened before I hit him across the face.

"Ren?! What are you doing?!" Sakura shrieked at me.

"Ren! Stay out of this! It's my fight!" Kakashi-sensei yelled at me as I landed in front of Momochi.

I ignored him before kicking my foot forwards as hard as I could, nailing him in the solar plexus. "You don't say that thing about those you care about! You protect them, and if they get hurt, you show some damn compassion!"

Momochi growled at me as he grabbed the handle of his broken head cleaver.

I straightened my back out and yelled furiously, "Even if Haku did die, what the hell gives you the right to cut through him?!"

"He is dead. That's what gives me the right," the man growled. "You would never be able to understand."

"Damn straight!" I yelled before Kakashi-sensei grabbed ahold of my arm and pushed me behind him. I tried running around Kakashi-sensei, but the man grabbed me and held me to his still-bleeding chest. "I know what it's like to care about people, to be truly strong! I know what it's like to risk death for someone! And what you thought of doing is beyond disrespectful and disgusting!"

"That's enough," Kakashi-sensei muttered as he squeezed me a bit.

"That... That son of a bitch...!" I snarled out before Kakashi-sensei put his one hand over my eyes, making me unable to see Momochi anymore. "I hope you burn in hell!"

"Ren, calm down. This isn't like you. Save your grievances for later," Kakashi-sensei said softly and soothingly.

"R-Ren..." Sakura muttered to herself.

I clenched my teeth before finally relaxing myself. I was released by Kakashi-sensei and realized that I was crying. I wiped my eyes and face, still fuming with rage on the inside.

"Naruto! You stay out of this too!" Kakashi-sensei yelled, making me look around for the blonde idiot.

"Naruto! You're alive!" Sakura cheered before realizing that someone was missing. "Huh? What about Sasuke-kun? Naruto! Where's Sasuke-kun?!"

Uzumaki-kun grit his teeth before turning his head away.

I am so con-fucking-flicted right now. Yay, Uchiha isn't going to be rude to my sister and the cause of Itachi-senpai's death! Shit, my sister is going to be devastated for weeks! I then paused before grinning sheepishly. I mean, oh no, my teammate died.

"Focus, Kakashi! Don't let yourself be distracted!" Momochi yelled as he rushed towards Kakashi-sensei with his broken blade and bleeding head.

Kakashi-sensei easily ducked under the blade of Momochi and delivered a solid kick to his opponent's gut.

Sakura and Tazuna-san, meanwhile, ran by me with worried expressions, one more worried than the other.

I gave a small sigh before looking towards Kakashi-sensei and Momochi. I couldn't help but give a smirk as I realized that Momochi couldn't focus anymore. So he was effected my Haku's death. He just doesn't realize it. Of course he feels something. Those types of bonds don't just break without some lingering feelings.

"Why...? Why... can't I keep up...?" Momochi questioned as he kneeled before Kakashi-sensei, panting. He then quickly got up and darted for Kakashi-sensei. "Damn it!"

My teacher easily hit Momochi back with a single punch. He then moved behind the enraged Momochi and grabbed the other man's neck. "Now there's no way you can beat me."

"What?!" Momochi snapped, refusing to accept defeat that soon.

"It's over. You just don't know it yet," Kakashi-sensei replied.

"Heh heh! I wonder how the fight's going!"

I jolted before looking over at the man that just came on the bridge. I could use some relief. And besides, I did lose my sado seal a week ago. I deserve to cut loose. I'll just kill off the rouge ninjas.

As Momochi's head cleaver clanked against the ground, one of my teleportation kunais went towards the crowd assembling behind the short man.

I teleported to it and grinned sadistically at the shocked group. "Bye bye~."

"Wha-"

I cut the rouge ninja off with a kunai through the eye and into his brain. I landed on some thug's head and quickly pulled out some wire string to attach to two ends of two different kunais. I threw them in the same direction towards the teleportation kunai that had been forgotten on the ground there. I made my way to that kunai before catching the two flying kunais. I pulled hard on the handles of said kunais and was rewarded with the wire string beheading a few rouges.

"Demon kid!" A guy yelled as he tried to stick a lance through my back.

"Close, but not enough," I cooed with a wink before going off to some other group of rouges that were just waiting for me to kill them.

Considering that there were rouge ninjas, they were pretty easy to kill off. They clearly didn't keep up with daily training, and that made them into sitting ducks that were just waiting to be dealt with. Ah, maybe that was a bad thing to say - too sadistic.

When I finished with the shinobi, I stood at the back of the group at the very edge of the bridge with a large grin. I turned my head towards the remaining thugs and licked my lips. "Who wants to be next?"

"Wh-what the hell are you?!" Some lowlife yelled at me.

"Just call me the cause of your death," I replied as I gave a closed-eye smile.

"Definitely a shame he ended up being born in your village," Momochi commented loud enough for me to hear.

"Well he usually isn't like this," Kakashi-sensei replied before suddenly pausing.

I teleported to my one kunai that was still by Momochi and looked at the party that had at least a third of its members dead on on the ground. I picked up one of my sacred kunais before turning my attention to the small man that was approaching Haku. "You going to do anything about him?"

"Why would I?" Momochi replied questioningly.

"You subconsciously know why," I explained before watching the man poke Haku with his shoe.

Momochi gave a small growl as Gatô kicked Haku across the face. He probably didn't even realize that he cared so much about his companion, the fool...

I shook my head before going over to Kakashi-sensei, who was holding back Uzumaki-kun. I realized that there were quite a bit of puddles on the ground by them and decided to just roll around in them to get some of the blood off of me. And death goes to the puddles! Victory is claimed by Haruno Ren once again!

"Ren, get up," Kakashi-sensei scolded as he hit my head once I got close enough to him.

I huffed before getting onto my feet. "I'm just cleaning some of the blood off."

"Yeah, and smearing it all over the bridge," he pointed out.

"At least I didn't have my ninken destroy part of the bridge," I argued.

"Well I didn't kill nearly the amount of people you have today," he debated.

"If you push them into the water, I'm sure everything will solve itself eventually," I mumbled as I crossed my arms.

"Why did you kill them anyways? I haven't ever seen you that bloodthirsty before," Kakashi-sensei asked softly.

"Hm? Oh. Well I have a paper seal that keeps my bloodlust and sadism under control, for the most part. And, uh, I lost it during our first battle with Momochi." I then pointed at him and said with a blank face, "I'm blaming you and your waterfall jutsu thing."

"Wha- it couldn't have been that," he argued.

"And by that, you mean the thing that literally threw me into a tree and kept me there for significantly longer than it should have?" I asked as I lifted my shirt to show him the bruises that were still there.

"Uh..." Kakashi-sensei failed to make up a comeback so he just pointed at Momochi and said, "Oh, would you look at that?"

I gave a sigh before turning my attention to the man who had released his chakra, which formed a demonic figure around him. "Oooh! That's where he got the nickname Demon Hidden in the Mist!"

"Great job piecing that together!" Kakashi-sensei praised mockingly as he patted my head.

"Oh, shut up," I demanded before watching Momochi slice Gatô's head off. "Damn, look at that thing fly. I would have expected the air resistance from that guy's hair to effect its projection."

"You forgot to take the force of which Zabuza hit the head at," Kakashi-sensei explained, making me hum.

"Yeah, you're probably right," I agreed, able to accept my mistake.

Momochi suddenly glared, which caused the thugs to split like the citizens of Konoha did when Uzumaki-kun was walking through town. He only got about three steps before falling on his face.

"Don't look away," Kakashi-sensei demanded loudly, catching Uzumaki-kun's attention. "This was the end of a man who lived full out."

After a long pause, Uzumaki-kun agreed with a soft, "Yeah..."

"Since Uchiha died, does that mean we'll be a normal three-man cell? Or do we need to get him replaced?" I asked curiously.

"Haruno-kun!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at me.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Even though Sasuke is a huge jerk, it doesn't mean you should act like his death didn't effect you!" Uzumaki-kun scolded.

I snickered, making him get even angrier. "S-sorry. I was just messing with you. Duckass is waking up right now. You can tell by his fluctuating chakra levels."

Uzumaki-kun looked confused before turning his head back towards Uchiha, who was starting to stand up with the help of Sakura. He gave a soft laugh, tears coming to his eyes.

"I've been worrying since the fight began... But... Sasuke made it after all. Fantastic!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed, relief definitely filling his voice.

"Sensei, shouldn't I have gone to fight Haku instead? I'm, like, 95% sure I would have been able to handle the situation better," I stated as I pointed to myself.

"As true as that may be, you probably wouldn't have been invested in the fight since you couldn't protect Sakura if she happened to need it," he pointed out which made me pause.

I hadn't even thought of that myself, which was saying something. I really didn't like that fact, so I decided to shove it way into the back of my mind to think about later.

"Hey! Aren't you forgetting something?!" A thug that clearly wanted his ass kicked yelled.

I grit my teeth before turning to glare at the remaining group. "Oi... Shut up... before I kill you."

"You're all bloody! What are you going to do?! Huh?!" The thug demanded to know. Geez, did he already forget about what I did to the rouges?

I took a step forwards, but paused after an arrow landed in front of the thugs. "Wow... I didn't actually think they existed. Raining arrows..."

"Stop where you are!"

"Oh... The arrows aren't raining then... Damn..." I mumbled as I looked back at the villagers who just arrived on the scene with weapons in hand.

"Why would you want it to rain arrows?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he looked up at me with confusion clear on his face and in his voice.

"Uh... Bragging rights?" I suggested lamely.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying what I was selling.

"It's a really long and complicated story that involves the pet newt I mentioned earlier," I replied as I waved him off.

Uzumaki-kun suddenly did his kage bunshin trick despite the fact he should have had extremely low chakra levels.

"Hm, cool," I mumbled before Kakashi-sensei made, like, five thousand kage bunshins. "Damn..."

"Now... Shall we?" He and his bunshins asked in unison, making the thugs all flee.

"Damn indeed," I mumbled as I gave a nod of approval. I eventually sighed before flopping over to lay on my back. "Nap time..." I laid peacefully before something cold hit my face. I opened my eyes to see that it was snowing despite the fact it was the middle of summer. "Fuck you sky. Fuck you so hard..."

"Get up Ren!" Sakura demanded as she kicked my gut.

I groaned and rolled onto my side. "Don't do that anymore Sakura."

She kicked my back for back-talking her.

I just laid there as my eyes closed once again. I was really tired and couldn't move my body well anyways. I figured a nap was just what I needed.

"Hey, Ren. Are you awake?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he poked my cheek.

I gave a small hum, but didn't bother opening my eyes.

"Who's the idiot that overused his chakra now?" Kakashi-sensei questioned, a smirk clear in his voice.

"Jump up your own ass and die," I replied as I managed to flip the man off.

"You'll be okay," Kakashi-sensei deduced as he picked me up... bridal style.

I felt myself blush before waving off my thoughts. Go away gay thoughts. You can't make us. ...Why do I converse with myself about this every time...?

"So, is Haruno-kun going to be okay?" Uzumaki-kun asked nervously as he trailed behind Kakashi-sensei.

"He's probably doing fine right now..." Sakura grumbled softly, a small pout in her voice.

"Because he's sleeping?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"Uh... Yeah..." Sakura replied slowly.

"Is there something you should tell me regarding your brother, Sakura?" Kakashi-sensei asked sternly.

"No!" She squeaked.

"Your brother needs seals to keep something under control. Why?" Kakashi-sensei pressed.

Duckbutt released a, "Hn." He was clearly interested in the sudden turn of events.

"Oh, that..." Sakura gave a small sigh of relief before clearing her throat. "Ren supposedly needs a seal to supress... something."

"What is that something?" Kakashi-sensei questioned.

"No idea," Sakura lied, sounding oddly convincing.

"Okay... What's the other thing you should tell me about regarding your brother?" Kakashi-sensei pressed.

"There's nothing I can tell you that Ren can't tell you himself," she replied, just as we had practiced.

Hah hah! Suck on that bitches! I internally screamed.

"Is Ren gay?" Uzumaki-kun blurted out, making everyone pause.

How the flying fuck did he figure that out?! I internally screeched.

"No! Why would you even think that?!" Sakura yelled angrily.

"Wasn't he picked on many years ago for being gay?" He asked, surprising everyone with his good memory.

"Ren isn't gay, and even if he was, there's no way he'd be stupid enough to let you overhear," Sakura growled.

"So basically, he hides the fact he's gay so others won't pick on him?" Kakashi-sensei concluded.

Fuck everything! Fuck the sky! Fuck the bridge! Fuck the water! Fuck this country! Fuck my country! Fuck that maybe demon! Fuck that Uchiha Duckass! And especially, fuck that bastard that's known as Hatake Kakashi! I internally screamed as I threw non-existent shit all over the almost empty black cavern which was my mind.

"No," Sakura replied with a deadpanned voice.

"Hm... Well, we won't judge him for his sexual preference," Kakashi-sensei stated.

I call bullshit here and now, I thought bitterly.

"Yeah! So what if he likes guys?" Uzumaki-kun asked cheerfully before pausing. "He doesn't like me, does he?"

"Tch. That's exactly why he doesn't like anyone knowing anything about him. Everyone jumps to conclusions and ends up making him feel like shit for things he never does," Sakura snapped, a bit of her own emotional baggage entering that little rant.

"Hn. Just ignore the idiot. I'm fine with it," Uchiha said, making me internally awe at the true reveal of Duckbutt's feelings.

"Uh, yeah! Me too! I was just asking because I like someone else," Uzumaki-kun said, half-lies and half-truth.

"How do you feel about it Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked accusingly.

"Well, I think one of my best friends is gay, and that doesn't really effect the way I see him. A person's sexuality doesn't define them, but rather their words and actions," Kakashi-sensei replied like some wise old man.

"Did you get that out of your porn book?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"You're awake?!" Uzumaki-kun shrieked in surprise.

"Yeah, but I can't move 85% of my body," I grumbled as I failed to open my eyes to glare at the blonde.

"Uh... Heh heh... Sorry," he apologized, not actually sounding sorry.

"Fuck you," I replied bitterly.

"I tried," Sakura said as someone patted my head.

"I know," I mumbled.

"So are you going to tell me about the seals, or am I going to have to force it out of you?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"You're going to have to stick a kunai to my throat, again," I replied like the asshole that I was.

"Excuse me?!" Sakura yelled, making me smirk.

"He's over-exaggerating," Kakashi-sensei replied quickly.

"Sure, It-Was-Reflexes-san," I mocked.

"You shut up," he demanded, his eyes burning holes through my head.

"You wouldn't feel guilty if it didn't happen," I pointed out.

"I don't feel guilty," he argued.

"Oh! Hear that guys? He doesn't feel guilty about sticking a kunai to a child's throat!" I exclaimed.

"Wha- I- Stop trying to use my words against me!" He demanded.

"Feel guilty yet?" I asked in reply.

"Shut up," he commanded.

"I thought you wanted to know about the seals," I cooed evilly.

Kakashi-sensei suddenly dropped me, making me huff angrily. "Are you going to behave, or do I have to leave you here?

"Leave me here," I replied honestly.

"Then I'm leaving," he said before he began to walk off. "Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto. You're all come with me."

"But-"

"He made his choice," Kakashi-sensei interrupted, his voice clearly indicating he was done with my shit and me.

I just laid there as I listened to my teammates walk off to who fucking knows where. I couldn't exactly move to go after them, and I wasn't going to apologize any time soon. I decided to just fall asleep, and was almost in her sweet embrace when I was picked up once again.

"Ugh, the things I do for you..." Kakashi-sensei grumbled softly as he walked off with me.

I internally laughed, but was really too tired to bother poking fun at him.

"And you don't even appreciate it half the time," he continued like some bitter ex.

Being a sarcastic ass is how I show my appreciation, I pointed out in my mind.

"Then again, you don't really show who you are most of the time, do you?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

Well fuck me. He figured it out. Greeaat! Now I'm going to go through an interrogation! Fuck everything! I thought bitterly as I waved my non-existent mind hand around.

"And it's all because of Sakura, isn't it?" He pressed.

My heart momentarily stopped as I just laid there, trying to figure out how exactly he managed to piece everything together.

"Ah, so I was right. You can still hear, but you can't move... Sakura... Why do you want to change yourself just to please her? Shouldn't she accept your differences?" Kakashi-sensei mused aloud.

It's not that easy. I just... I want to keep her happy. I don't want to make her scared of me anymore. I want her love. You wouldn't understand what it's like to want your sibling to grow and be happy, even at the cost of your own happiness. It's an older brother thing that never really goes away, okay? As an older brother, you would literally throw everything away just to make your sibling smile- Wait a second...

"Oh, your heart rate is picking up again. Did you finally realized the error in your ways?" Kakashi-sensei questioned.

Itachi-senpai probably did something similar! That has to be it! He wouldn't just throw Uchiha's life off of a cliff unless there was no other way! Those tears that formed in his eyes... He didn't want to leave, but he did anyways! It was probably all for that damn Duckass!

"Uh, Ren... This may seem like a really weird thing to point out, but there are black lotuses falling out of your hair..." Kakashi-sensei said slowly.

Oh, shit... Sado is really active, huh? I need to make temporary seals then. I can also start of the necessary formula for a maso seal. I can keep my sarcasm under wraps so long as I master the fake smile, but I'll make a seal just in case. Ah, losing more of myself seems so sad, but if it'll make Sakura happy, then I won't hesitate to seal away those parts of me.

And with that, I was finally able to drift into a deep sleep.


	12. Chapter Twelve

It's been two weeks since the battle at the bridge, and we finally came to pay our respects to Momochi and Haku.

Well, I actually came first because I had nothing better to do with my life. I sat before the graves of Haku and Momochi silently, my thumbs twirling around nervously. I kept recalling my failure to prevent anyone's death, along with my failure to keep my bloodlust and sadism under control.

I nibbled my lip before hissing at the pain that filled my mind. I put my hand over my heart where the temporary seals all rested. I knew they weren't perfect, but they would still serve their purpose.

"You should still be resting."

I nearly screamed as I heard that voice behind me. I managed to hold my fear in though as I looked back at Kakashi-sensei. "You should be resting, too."

He gave a chuckle, not at all denying that statement. He then gave me a serious look and asked, "Can we talk?"

I hung my head before looking at the graves. I had been mentally preparing myself for the talk that was sure to come for the past week. I gave a silent nod, ready for my entire life to just crumble away into dust.

"There are plenty of things I want to ask, and with the way you've been avoiding me ever since the battle on the bridge..." Kakashi-sensei trailed off before just bluntly asking, "Where'd you learn to kill like that?"

I played with my thumbs once more, not really knowing the proper way to answer such a question. "Well... I suppose it started with hitting training dummies and finding their weakest points. Of course, after I expanded my interests into medical ninjutsu, I got to know the human body well. I know what causes pain, which pressure points knock a person out, and which ways to kill another human... Back when anger was my main motivation, I trained hard in the ways to secure a fast victory. Killing really is the fastest, though not always the best option."

He didn't reply for quite some time. When he did, he decided to change topics, "That teleportation jutsu with your kunais... How do you do it?

I pulled out one of those kunais before holding it up to him. "Every person has chakra that is individual to them and them alone, just like someone's fingerprints are only their own. So long as you are properly able to understand your own chakra, you can make a seal that holds some of your chakra. It will then work as a device that you can teleport to by focusing your mind, and subsequently your chakra, to that specific seal. It's like the Hiraishin no Jutsu, but you have to place a physical seal on it instead of briefly touching it and making a chakra seal. I'm not as good as Nidaime-sama or Yondaime-sama in terms of jikūkan ninjutsu."

"How do you even know that type of ninjutsu exists?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he inspected my kunai.

"W-well... I've always been a bit of a dork..." I admitted with great embarrassment as I kept playing with my thumbs.

Kakashi-sensei stopped fiddling around with my kunai and gave me his full attention.

"Um... It's also really easy to lie to people's faces when you're a kid that hasn't revealed that your IQ could probably crush theirs..." I mumbled as I looked down guiltily. "And... Even members of the ANBU will let you slide if they think you're just some stupid kid that got lost..."

"Wait a second..." He demanded, remaining silent for several long moment. He finally smacked the back of my head with his free hand and yelled, "How much of a delinquent were you as a child?!"

"Ren was a good boy! Ren just wanted to expand his knowledge!" I replied as I held my head. I didn't want my head to get smacked with my kunai, just in case Kakashi-sensei forgot he was holding in.

"Why are you talking in third person?!" He exclaimed.

"Ren does it when he's had a lot of time to think!" I replied loudly, probably getting the entire small nation's attention.

"And just how long is that?" He asked, finally calming down a bit.

"Ren has been here for the past 20 hours," I admitted.

"No you weren't. You had breakfast with us," Kakashi-sensei argued.

"Ren also knows how to make kage bunshins..." I mumbled, earning another smack to the head.

Kakashi-sensei gave a deep sigh before tapping my shoulder with the non-pointy side of my special kunai. "Please don't keep any more secrets from me."

"Sorry..." I apologized softly as I slipped my kunai away. I really wasn't sorry, and I sure as hell wasn't about to tell him the thousands of secrets I held deep inside of me.

He ruffled me hair gently before asking, "Did you think of anything to say to them yet?"

"I've been sitting here for a long while, trying to come up with something," I explained as I stared down at the two graves.

"I see..." That was all he had to say, at least until my teammates showed up with fresh offerings.

"Oh, Ren. Tsunami-san was wondering where you were," Sakura told me as she placed the offerings down.

I gave a simple nod as I stood up. "I'm sorry."

Sakura waved me off before realizing that Uzumaki-kun was reaching his hand out for the food offerings. She smacked his hand rather harshly.

"Ow!" Uzumaki-kun cried out.

Sakura growled and yelled, "What sneaky, greedy trick are you up to now?!"

Uzumaki-kun laughed sheepishly.

"You eat an offering, you'll be punished by the gods!" She continued before calming herself down.

I internally sighed at them, but kept a blank smile on my face nonetheless.

"But still... Kakashi-sensei..." She said softly as she looked at the two graves.

"Hm~?" He replied, turning his gaze from me to her.

"...I can't help wondering. Were those two right about what a ninja should be?" She asked.

"A shinobi shouldn't be concerned with a reason for his or her existence. It is important merely that we exist as a tool for our homeland to use in whatever way they need. That's as true for us in Konohagakure as it is for ninja anywhere else," Kakashi-sensei explained, rather brutally if I may add.

"Is that really what becoming a full-fledged ninja's gonna be about? I don't like the sound of it!" Uzumaki-kun said, his eyes on the graves as well.

"Do you really feel that way, Kakashi-sensei?" Uchiha questioned as he looked over at the jônin.

"Wellll... No," Kakashi-sensei replied honestly, "And that's why all we ninja live our lives with that ideal always bubbling beneath the surface of our minds, disturbing us." He looked over at the graves. "...Like it did Zabuza... And the boy..."

Everyone remained silent, thinking of what they believed their purpose was.

A tool, huh? Use or be used. Heh. I already know that I'm going to be used to protect the village, but I will also protect Sakura. That is my purpose, and I will gladly die for her, just as Haku had, I thought realistically as I stared down at the grave of the boy who impacted me in a great way without even knowing.

"That's it. I've made up my mind! I am going to create my own nindo - my own ninja path, my own destiny!" Uzumaki-kun declared.

I smiled softly at him. Fate is a hard thing to fight, but I'm sure you'll do fine. You're strong enough to, that's for sure.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled before motioning for all of us to go. "Come on. We still have some packing to do. Ren."

"Yeah! You totally ditched us this morning after breakfast! What gives, Haruno-kun?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he pointed at me angrily.

"I merely got stuck on the path of life," I replied as I began walking back towards Tazuna-san's house with my hands in my pockets.

"Hey! Don't lie to me! Come on! Tell me where you were!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he chased after me.

I stopped, smiled, and then poked the middle of his forehead. "Another time, perhaps."

He frowned at me, his blue eyes trying to guilt me into telling him, along with the pout on his lips.

I merely continued on back to the house, my smile slowly dying into a blank expression. Ah, so now I understand what it's like to slowly conceal everything about yourself. It's much harder than you made it seem, Itachi-senpai...

Kakashi-sensei soon matched his pace with mine and ruffled my hair. "Lighten up. Things can only get better from here."

"Yeah..." I muttered softly before really thinking about it. Well, I'm turning into not me, so she should be happy. I guess things really can only get better from here. I brightened up a bit and began walking with stride once again. Things can only get better!

We soon arrived back at Tazuna-san's place, and I was immediately put to work with packing my things. It didn't take long to fold up all my clothes and pack them away. It took longer to put all my weapons in the bag. I was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to how my weapons we're placed.

And of course, I finished just before Inari-kun poked his head in. "Ren, Kaa-chan wants you."

"Okay. I'm coming," I said as I stood up. I followed after the boy with a small smile.

"Ren! I could use your help making dinner!" Tsunami-san exclaimed as I entered the kitchen.

I gave a nod as I walked over to the counter. "I'll do what I can."

"Good. Tonight is going to be special! Everything on the bridge is complete. And to celebrate that, I have a very unique dinner planned," she told me, making me grin widely. "No, you can not make everything overly spicy," she said, making me pout. She rolled her eyes at me, a small smirk on her lips. She gave my head a pat before telling me her ideas on a very delicious-sounding meal.

Needless to say, I was totally on board with her ideas, and even offered to go into town to get some of the supplies that we needed.

She allowed me to go, and I rushed off without hesitation.

As I made it to town, a few children swarmed to me looking for handouts.

Ah, I may have forgotten to mention how close I've gotten with the children. You see, after Gatô was taken care of, the children would wander over to the bridge. Their curiosity got some of the men annoyed, and I was tasked with keeping them entertained while convincing them to go back to town. Needless to say, we've all gotten close to each other.

"Ren-nii! Do you have any juice?" Sachin-chan asked as she held her hands out towards me.

"What about some granola bars?" Toshi-kun asked as he pulled on my shirt.

"Can we play now?" Raito-kun asked as he bounced around eagerly.

"Will you marry me?!" Hanako-chan yelled as she hugged my leg tightly.

"Here's your juice, and your granola bars. I can't play tonight. I need to pick up some groceries and get dinner rolling. I'm sorry," I said as I handed the small amounts of food out between the kids before looking down at the girl who had refused to let go of my leg. "Hanako-chan, you're not old enough to get married, and neither am I. Sorry."

She looked up at me with big, teary indigo eyes. "Please?!"

"No. And besides, your father would literally kill me if I accepted your marriage proposal," I explained as I patted her head. I then pried her off of my leg and went on my way, ignoring the fact that she followed after me.

"Ren! Marry me!" She yelled as I entered the grocery store.

"I have to buy groceries right now," I replied as I began to collect everything on my list.

"If you don't marry me, I'll marry Inari-chan!" Hanako-chan threatened loudly, her cheeks turning as red as her hair with anger.

"You two would look cute together," I pointed out, making her pause to gag at the thought.

"What will make you marry me?" She demanded to know as I paid for the food items I bought.

"I don't think marriage is a good idea. I'm leaving tomorrow, remember?" I questioned, making her latch onto my leg once again.

"I don't want you to leave! If you leave, then some other girl will want to marry you!" Hanako-chan exclaimed. How she jumped to that conclusion, I had no idea.

"That won't happen. Sakura will beat up any girls that try to date me," I lied, hoping to get her to let me go.

Her eyes narrowed at me instead. "Who's Sakura?"

"My twin sister," I answered honestly as I tried shaking the small girl off.

"I don't trust her," she said bluntly, making me sigh.

"You're going to have to Hanako-chan," I said as I finally pulled her off of my leg. "Bye."

She looked at me in confusion as I set her down.

I quickly teleported away to the kunai in my bag and sighed in great relief. I walked down to the kitchen and set the bags on the counter, making Tsunami-san jump slightly.

"I didn't hear you come back," she said with a small smile.

"I know," I replied as I went over to the sink to wash my hands.

She chuckled at my response before checking out my purchase, judging everything with her mother-senses. She eventually approved my choices, and ordered me to wash and peel the vegetables.

It was a very long and tedious process, but it was worth it in the end. The food was delicious, and was even better when everyone joined us at the table.

"Man! This stuff smells great!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he got ready to pile things onto his plate.

I smacked his hand with a small glare. "Patients."

He gave a pout. "Aw, but I'm so hungry!"

"And I'm Ren," I replied with a straight face, making him give me an unamused look. "No touching the food until everyone is sitting down."

"But I'm starving!" Uzumaki-kun complained.

"I don't care. This dinner is special, and you're going to wait for everyone to arrive," I said before heading back over to the counter to get another dish of food.

"Naruto! What do you think you're doing?!" Sakura yelled, making the boy scream girlishly loud.

"S-Sakura-chan! I didn't hear you come in!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed nervously, obviously trying to bait her into forgetting about the fact he just did something wrong.

"You idiot," Uchiha commented as he took his usual seat.

Uzumaki-kun glared at the other boy with a firey passion.

I sighed as I set the dish down. "At least pretend to get along, for the sake of one final dinner here."

Uzumaki-kun jolted before looking as if he only just realized that we wouldn't be staying any longer in the place where he was treated like any other normal member of society. He looked down at his plate sadly. He was clearly not looking forwards to going back to the place he was called a monster.

"Though, Iruka-sensei will probably treat you to all-you-can-eat ramen once we get back, so your stomach will be filled up in no time," I said as I grinned widely at him.

He immediately got the light back in his eyes and grinned back at me. "Yeah! I've missed that stuff!"

"But not Iruka-sensei?" I teased.

"Him too!" He added quickly, a small blush on his cheeks.

"Oh? Have you fallen for him too?" I asked as I poked his cheek.

"Ew! No! I don't have a crush on Iruka-sensei, you weirdo!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he pushed me away from him.

I laughed, as did a few others. I took my seat as soon as Tsunami-san took hers.

"Congratulations on finishing the bridge!" Tsunami-san and I exclaimed as we looked at Tazuna-san eagerly.

He looked surprised before a few tears began to well up in his eyes. "You guys..."

"We made a special dinner tonight to commemorate the occasion," Tsunami-san explained with her usual kind smile.

"I see... This wouldn't have been possible without you," Tazuna-san said as he looked over at my team. "Thank you."

"It's been a pleasure working with you," I replied before anyone else could. I gave a closed-eye smile to the man before Sakura hit the back of my head.

"He means us protecting him, idiot," she said as she pulled on my ear.

"S-sorry," I apologized quickly.

"You've been a big help too," Tazuna-san said as he smiled at me. "Between your help with the bridge and the children, everything has been running significantly smoother.

"The children?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

I felt myself start to rapidly sweat with nerves as my smile became forced. "There... may have been something else I was hiding from you..."

He reached over to my spot and karate chopped my head. "I told you not to hide anything from me."

"Sorry," I apologized even though I was definitely not sorry.

Tazuna-san chuckled. "You see, Ren has been using his breaks to entertain the kids in town. That's why he comes home later than Sakura and I some times."

Kakashi-sensei released a hum as his eyes pierced holes through my skull.

"Don't tell Okaa-san," I pleaded despite the fact he probably didn't even know who my mother was.

"Ren... Didn't we talk about the fact that your breaks needed to be used for resting?" Kakashi-sensei asked, making me look away and play with my thumbs.

"Maybe..." I replied, only to have my head hit once again. I threw my arms into the air and exclaimed, "What do you want from me?! They're children! I'm not going to say no!"

"One girl even asked for Ren's hand in marriage," Tazuna-san pipped up, making me look over at him in horror.

"Oh?" Sakura asked, making me shake my head rapidly.

"No!" I blurted out with fearful eyes.

"Who is she?" Kakashi-sensei asked, eager to get his daily filling of my suffering.

"Oh, isn't she Kana Hanako-chan?" Tsunami-san questioned as she tapped her chin.

"No," I replied, slightly horrified that they all knew about my problem.

"Aw. That's adorable Ren!" Sakura cooed as she pinched one of my cheeks.

"It's not funny!" I yelled as my face turned beat red from the overwhelming amounts of embarrassment I had to deal with.

"You're right," she agreed before smirking evilly. "It's hilarious."

I immediately made a deadpanned expression. "I have trained you well... Too well."

She smiled brightly at my compliment before serving herself some food.

My sister's a devil... Why did I turn her evil with my corrupted and sinful ways?! Why Kami-sama?! Why?! I internally screamed before enjoying the delicious dinner I helped to make.

The next day, we stood at the finished bridge with Tazuna-san, his family, and Giichi-san.

"Thanks to you, our bridge has finally been completed, but... It's going to be awfully dull around here, once you're gone," Tazuna-san said.

"We've enjoyed your hospitality," Kakashi-sensei replied politely.

"No problemo, Tazuna-san, my man! We'll come back to play with you again sometime!" Uzumaki-kun declared despite the fact we probably never were going to go back unless we were tasked with another mission there.

"You better..." Inari-kun stated, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

"So... Um... Anyways..." Uzumaki-kun muttered as tears also came to his eyes. He forced a smile and said, "Inari... Don't let it get you down. It's okay to cry, if you really want!"

"I'm not going to cry!" Inari-kun shouted. "B-but Naruto... Hey, nii-chan... Y-you can cry! Go ahead!"

"Me? No way," Uzumaki-kun replied before swirling around 180. "See you."

"Oh!" Inari-kun reached out for Uzumaki-kun, only to start bawling, just like his blonde "brother" was.

I rolled my eyes as we started walking, but smiled nonetheless.

"That boy touched little Inari's heart... And Inari touched the hearts of all the people in our city... Naruto built the bridge that eventually carried us all to hope and courage!" Tazuna-san declared.

"Speaking of bridges, we still have to officially dedicate this one," Giichi-san pointed out.

"And there's only one name that will truly fit," Tazuna-san said.

"What are we going to call it?" Giichi-san asked.

"How about... The Great Naruto Bridge?" Tazuna-san suggested.

Tsunami-san chuckled. "It's a nice name, Otou-san."

"All right! Let's get home! Iruka-sensei's gonna take me out for ramen noodles to celebrate the completion of our mission! And then... And then, you know, I have to tell Konohamaru my epic tale of martial arts bravery!" Uzumaki-kun announced excitedly.

"Oh... Uh... Okay," Sakura replied, not really interested. She was more interested in Uchiha if her blush had anything to say about it. "By the way, Sasuke-kun... When we do get home... Would you like to... go out with me?"

That bitch better say no, I thought as I glared over at him with a murderous look, my middle finger waving all about as I stood on the other side of my little sister.

"Uh, no thanks," he replied as he eyed me cautiously.

"N-no...?" Sakura repeated, disheartened.

I made a sympathetic expression as I patted her back reassuringly.

"Hey! I'll go out with you!" Uzumaki-kun yelled, excited for his sudden chance with my sister.

"Naruto! No! Knock it off!" Sakura yelled, punching him quite a distance.

Kakashi-sensei released a semi-amused huff through his nose while he gave a slightly concerned closed-eye smile.

I smiled myself, a more genuine smile, and motioned for my twin to not try to kick Uzumaki-kun's ass all the way to Konoha.

The adventure back was rather dull, made duller by the fact we had nothing to do on our way back.

"So Haruno-kun! Where were you yesterday during packing?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled, easily recovering from my sister's brutal denial.

"Another time, perhaps," I replied as I smiled and poked his forehead.

He hummed in annoyance as he rubbed his headband free of any fingerprints I may have left on it. "Why do you keep poking my forehead?"

"No reason," I lied as I continued to give him my fake smile.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" He asked as he leaned in towards me.

I merely replied by poking his forehead.

Soon enough, we returned to the village and had to follow Kakashi-sensei back to the mission place at the academy. We wouldn't have gone if the mission didn't escalate to a B-Rank, maybe even A-Rank, mission. But we did have to go, and that was that.

I stared down at my feet the entire time as Kakashi-sensei explained the circumstances of the mission, but decided it'd be for the best if the mission remained a C-Rank mission in terms of payment. I found everything boring and just wanted to spend the rest of the day in bed.

"Ren, we're going," Sakura said softly as she tugged on my arm.

I gave a silent nod and walked along with her back to our house. I forced myself to smile at our parents, but quickly rushed off to my room to make myself actual seals. I wanted to get that over with so I could sleep in peace.

At least, that was until someone knocked on my window.

I paused in the middle of my seal making to look over at the green-spandex wearing boy who smiled at me eagerly. I gave a small sigh as I stood up before walking over to my window. I opened it, allowing Lee-senpai to come in. "How many times do I have to tell you to use the door?"

The boy laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. He then regained his usual energy and said, "You were going to miss training, so I can to get you."

"I can't go today. I'm a bit busy since I just came back from a three-week mission. There are many things I must catch up on," I explained apologetically with a small bow.

"Oh, I see. Then maybe tomorrow you can join us!" Lee exclaimed with a bright twinkle in his eyes.

"Ren! Who's in your room with you?!" Sakura yelled as her footsteps indicate her coming over from her room.

"A-ah, it's Sakura-san," Lee said nervously before just abandoning ship. He jumped out the window and ran away, making me smirk and shake my head with amusement.

I closed my window before going back to making my seals. I didn't bother looking at Sakura as she opened the door to my room. "Please knock next time."

"Huh? I thought I heard someone else in here," she muttered to herself before looking at my half-developed seals. "What are you doing?"

"Seals," I replied simply, making her huff.

"Fine. I'll leave you alone," she said with a bit of an attitude before leaving me be.

I sighed softly as a blank look came across my face. Things can only get better...


	13. Chapter Thirteen

"I bet 100¥ he won't show up until that crow comedically caws exactly two times while flying overhead," I said to Uzumaki-kun while pointing at the crow that was currently perched atop a branch on a nearby tree.

He gave a hum while looking at the crow with narrowed eyes before said eyes drifted past me. Those blue eyes of his immediately shot away, and he apologized nervously. "S-sorry, but I don't think I can bet with you today..."

My head snapped around, and I saw my little sister whistling casually, too casually if you asked me, while looking at Uchiha, who incidentally was also looking away. I narrowed my eyes at the Uchiha who had glanced over at me. I put two fingers up to my eyes before quickly swerving them around to the Duckass. I then flipped him the bird as quickly as possible.

He looked shocked that I would threaten him in such a childish manner, but he refused to say anything about it after I gave him my death glare.

So since I had nothing better to do with my life, I sat down and decided to try and sleep until someone woke me up.

As it turns out, Uzumaki-kun never actually let me fall asleep before he starting talking about me behind my back, figuratively of course since he was talking right in front of my "sleeping" body. "Hey, hey. Hasn't Haruno-kun been acting strange ever since he got back from Nami no Kuni?"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, the sass so clear in her voice, I could envision her with her hands on her hips and narrowed eyes without any real effort.

"I mean... He's been really weird," Uzumaki-kun reiterated.

"The only weird one here in you Naruto," Sakura criticized.

"Just hear me out. He hasn't been punched by Kakashi-sensei once ever since we got back, right?" The blonde asked, causing a silence to fall over the three, not that Uchiha was really contributing to the conversation at all.

Oh shit, spoke too soon.

"You're right. Now that I think about it, he hasn't been purposefully trying to get anyone angry at him lately," Uchiha commented, suspicion lacing his tone clearly.

"After what happened at the bridge, he probably got some common sense knocked into him," Sakura grumbled.

"Yeah, but hasn't Haruno-kun always liked getting hurt?" Uzumaki-kun questioned.

Silence filled the air, making it clear that the two boys were looking to my sister for answers.

"Well... Not always..." Sakura finally broke down, her nervousness as clear as day by her tone.

"Did something happen to make him not want to get hurt anymore?" Uchiha pressed.

"Well, I think the Haku thing really got to him," Sakura mumbled softly.

The two boys immediately shut up and left the conversation at that.

Uzumaki-kun had previously told Uchiha about my major flip out over what Momochi tried doing to Haku, so both of them had a good understanding of why I was so upset.

"So..." Uzumaki-kun started up again just before I could doze off.

"What now?" Sakura snapped.

"Does Haruno-kun like any guy in particular?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

Sakura remained silent, though it was the type of silence that was easily read as 'did you really just fucking ask that?' Finally, she asked back, "What's it to you?"

"Aw, come on. He knows who I like!" The blonde complained.

"He knows who practically everyone likes. Ren sucks up gossip like a sponge. I swear, he's worse than Ino-buta-chan when it comes to that," Sakura growled softly despite the fact she really enjoyed hearing gossip I picked up from around the village.

"Please! Just a hint!" The boy with very tacky tastes in fashion whined.

My twin gave a deep sigh before finally admitting, "I don't know who he likes. He's always kept that part of him a secret. To be honest, I don't know if he's even gay at all. He doesn't seem to like anyone in any non-platonic manner, so he could be asexual."

"Asexual?" The idiot repeated questioningly.

"It means he's not sexually attracted to anyone, no matter who they are, what their sexuality is, or what they look like," Uchiha answered, once again surprising me with his knowledge.

Of course, since it wasn't dumbed down, it meant that the information flew over Uzumaki-kun's head. "Uh..."

"He doesn't find anyone hot, cute, handsome, gorgeous, or anything like that," Sakura listed off to help the slow kid along.

"Oh!" The blue-eyed boy exclaimed before asking, "Wait. Why was he picked on for being gay in the past then?"

"It's because he used to stalk two boys when he was younger," Duckass answered, incorrectly at that. He was probably basing his guess off of what he remembered about me from childhood, well, childhood before the Uchiha Massacre.

Hah! You finally fucked up! The real reason I was called gay was because I told Shisui-senpai that he had beautiful eyes! I also said that Itachi-senpai looked really good when he smiled genuinely! Though, the gay rumors were probably spread around after I told that one boy his facial beauty mark looked rather cute... I boasted inwardly before allowing myself to realize I was prideful over those actions. I quickly shooed my gay thoughts away, not wanting to deal with the past trying to catch up and bite my ass.

"Isn't that a normal boy thing though?" Sakura questioned.

Ah, to be confused over how to read into another's way of thinking. Those were truly the easy days... I paused for a split-second. Wait, what am I thinking? I still have those days. I get confused over my own damn thoughts for kami-sama's sake.

"I guess, but I still don't know why he set his sights on those two in particular," Uchiha muttered.

Dude. Do you not remember when Shisui-senpai found me beat up one time and took me back to the compound to patch me up? It was the biggest scandal of the Uchiha Compound that year, I thought as I wished to give the retarded duckass the confused look he deserved.

"Hm... Oh! I have another question!" Uzumaki-kun announced, making me internally pray that Kakashi-sensei would hurry the fuck up with whatever the hell he was doing.

"Can't you just give it a rest?" My little twin asked, clearly begrudging any more interactions with the easily-excitable blonde.

"This is the last one, I swear," Uzumaki-kun insisted before asking away, "Hasn't Haruno-kun's face been weird-looking lately?"

"He never looks weird," my twin growled.

"His face has been looking really weird lately!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed loud enough for the entire fucking village to hear.

"You're the only one that ever looks weird!" Sakura combatted before decking the poor blonde across the face, sending him far away into the distance. I mean, she probably just punched him hard enough to send him into a nearby wall, but it was the thought that counts.

"Idiots," Uchiha mumbled softly.

My eyes snapped open as I glared fiercely at Uchiha. "You better take that back Duckass, or I will make your life a personal hell."

"Y-you're awake?!" Uzumaki-kun shrieked as he pointed at me, a large lump comedically placed on his head from where Sakura punched him.

I ignored him and instead stared Uchiha down with my deadliest glare yet. "Well?"

"Stop trying to intimidate Sasuke-kun!" Sakura demanded as she stepped into my path.

I looked around her and saw that the Duckass had lifted his hands up in mock surrender. I gave a small nod before leaning back. I closed my eyes once more and said, "By the way Uzumaki-kun... If you wish to talk about people behind their backs, it's rather effective to not be near the person you're talking about."

"I-I wasn't trying to be mean! I was just curious!" The orange and blue clad boy yelled, panic so clear in his voice, I almost felt bad about teasing him.

"Yes, I understand. Just keep it in mind for the future," I replied, not bothering to open my eyes or give a smirk.

"S-sorry," Uzumaki-kun apologized meekly.

"There's no need to act like I'm going to hit you. It should be the other way around," I pointed out before giving a loud yawn. I got comfortable once more before attempting to fall asleep.

"So... Do you like anyone?" The blonde asked.

The levels of smoothness there were so amazing, I- I flinched as my thoughts were cut off by my seal kept my sarcasm under reasonable control. "Not at the moment."

"Why not?" The boy blurted out.

I'm scared of falling for someone Sakura won't like, or perhaps will like too much, I internally answered honestly. I gave a shrug, however, and said aloud, "I guess I'm just very picky."

"Not even a crush?" Uzumaki-kun asked suggestively as he hit my side with his elbow.

I took a moment to actually think about it before finally answering, "Being a genin and focusing on all the chores we've had to do really distracts someone from trying to find love, not that I was actually looking for it in the first place."

"Don't you ever want to get married?" The blue-eyed boy questioned with a tilt of his head.

"Meh. Maybe I'll die alone. Who knows?" I realized afterwards I probably sounded too nonchalant about dying alone. You fucked up again! The dark undertone slipped through, you fool!

"You're face looks weird," Uzumaki-kun blurted out, making me crack open an eyelid to look at him oddly.

"Weird how?" I asked.

"I don't know, but it looks really weird," he answered as he crossed his arms and looked at me despite both of his eyes being closed.

"Maybe it's puberty," I suggested, closing my eyes once again. I was going to get a nap, even if it-

"No... You just-"

"Would you stop talking about it?!" Sakura interrupted angrily as she glared fiercely at the boy.

"S-sorry Sakura-chan," Uzumaki-kun apologized.

"Loser," Uchiha mumbled under his breath.

"What did you just say?!" Uzumaki-kun demanded to know, anger clear in his voice.

Their teamwork has gotten worse since Nami no Kuni. If this keeps up, there's going to be a giant wedge between teammates soon, I internally noted before blocking out the two boys' childish bickering. I finally drifted off to sleep, but it felt like I was only out for five seconds.

"Your nose is growing, sensei! You always lay it on too thick," Sakura criticized, rather loudly at that, snapping me from my sleep.

"As ninja deceptions go... That one sucks!" Uzumaki-kun pipped up.

Wha...? I thought as I looked around in confusion before quickly realizing Kakashi-sensei had finally decided to show up. I stood up, dusted myself off, and then stared at Kakashi-sensei with a blank smile and dead eyes.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Any hot new missions for Team Seven?! We've had nothing but gimmes! Boooring! We want action! A challenge! Something where I could use my skill - like this..." Uzumaki-kun punched the air. "And this..." He gave another punch. "And! And-"

"Oh, really?" Kakashi-sensei asked before mumbling, "I see where you're going with this..."

Uzumaki-kun glared over at us teammates, but mainly Uchiha. He then got a weird look on his face as he went off to la-la land.

"Hey, Naruto! Wake up! We're heading out on our mission!" Kakashi-sensei yelled, snapping the boy out of his own head.

"Yes sir!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

"Would you chill?!" Sakura finally yelled before punching the poor boy.

The first mission we went on was pulling weeds from a woman's yard.

I was pulling weeds out from around the house when I noticed the certain blonde idiot heading for the herb garden. I quickly rushed over and prevented him from touching anything, herbs and weeds alike. "I've got this. You do the side of the house, okay?"

With a pout, the blonde wondered to the side of the house.

I carefully pulled the weeds out while making sure to avoid all the herbs. I knew that herbs were rather difficult to maintain, especially the kind she was growing, so I was sympathetic enough to take care of her garden myself.

The woman thanked us kindly as we left.

Then, we were in the river by the waterfall carefully removing trash.

I had taken my leg warmers off since I didn't really like walking around in them when they were wet.

Everything was going fine until Uzumaki-kun slipped back and crashed into me.

I gave a small sigh as I pulled a kunai from my holster. I shoved it between a few rocks and into the bed of the river. I then pulled Uzumaki-kun to his feet, made sure my basket was still full of trash, and then continued on with the mission.

"You idiot," Uchiha criticized as he looked over at the blonde.

Our next mission involved walking dogs around the village. Everyone but Uzumaki-kun and I chose small dogs.

The energetic boy took the largest dog to show off while I took the second biggest dog because he looked so sad in there. I figured some fresh air would do him some good.

As we were walking past the mine field, Uzumaki-kun's dog suddenly began to pull him towards a hole in the fence surrounding the area. Even though Uzumaki-kun dug his feet into the ground, he did nothing to prevent the dog from going continuing on. "H-hey... Where're you goin'? Hey! Not there! No! Please!"

"That fool..." Uchiha grumbled.

"Oh, that's because he stubbornly chose that big dog," Sakura commented.

I gave a small sigh before kneeling down and whistling. I then clicked my tongue twice, catching the attention of the dog. "Come," I commanded.

Naturally, the dog debated it for a second before walking towards me.

"Good boy," I approved as it came over and licked my face. I gently pet its head for a moment before standing up and continuing on with the walk.

"Thank you, Ren," Kakashi-sensei said from the tree branch where he decided to watch from.

I gave a small hum in reply, not really feeling anything from the praise.

The mission soon ended, and we were walking towards the Hokage's building.

Uzumaki-kun kept grumbling softly under his breath while occasionally glancing over at me.

Sakura seemed to notice and said, "You'd have been fine if you hadn't overdone it."

"You're a real nuisance," Duckass commented.

Uzumaki-kun twitched as he grit his teeth. He whirled around towards Uchiha while flailing his limbs around in punching motions. "That does it! Sasuke-"

"If you start anything more, I'll bury you!" Sakura threatened as she pulled her right arm back.

"Hah!" Uchiha grumbled.

"Hm... Lately... Your teamwork has been almost non-existent," Kakashi-sensei noted, not looking pleased at all.

"You tell him! You're always messing up our teamwork, Sasuke!" Uzumaki-kun yelled.

"He was talking to you, pinhead. If you're so sick of being in my debt..." Uchiha turned around and glared over his shoulder at the blonde. "Why don't you get better than me?"

The two glared fiercely at each other.

I gave a small sigh before stepping between the two. "Alright, let's calm down. We still have to return to Hokage-sama and get paid."

Uzumaki-kun grit his teeth before pointing at me. "And you're even worse! Lately, you've been acting just like Sasuke!"

I held in a flinch at his words. "Oh?"

"You're always coming in to try and save me, and make me look bad in the end!" He accused.

I looked towards the ground before bowing my head a bit. "I'm sorry. That's not my intention. I just don't want my teammates to get hurt again."

Sakura and Uzumaki-kun had the decency to flinch at my words.

Uchiha just grit his teeth while Kakashi-sensei stared up at the bird that was flying overhead.

"Okay, that's it. We'll call it a day right now. I've got to go hand in my report on today's mission," Kakashi-sensei said, causing the tension to break.

"Then I'm going home," Uchiha said as he turned and began walking away.

"Oh!" Sakura's face lit up as she began to trail after him. "Hey! Sasuke-kun, wait up! I... I was wondering... if..." She stopped and held her hands together next to her head, a large grin stretched across her face. "If we, you know... you and I... just the two of us... could work on our, um... our teamwork?"

"You're as bad as Naruto," Uchiha commented, causing my sister to deflate. "Why waste your time flirting when you should be practicing? Even his skills are better than yours!"

Needless to say, Sakura was down for the count.

"Hey, hot stuff! Forget Sasuke. You and I can train together!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he flailed his hand back and forth to catch her attention.

"Ren, I'd like to speak with you later," Kakashi-sensei stated softly.

I stared at him questioning, but he just shunshined off without any explanation. I wonder what it's about this time.

"Whatever! What matters is, I'm done losing! There's only one thing ahead of me, and that is... training!" Uzumaki-kun announced in a sing-song manner.

That's when a weird box appeared. It looked like a large cobblestone block with two eye-holes. Needless to say, it wasn't very skilled in the stealth department.

I silently watched the rock follow Uzumaki-kun back and forth for a while before growing bored. I decided to just ignore him and head over to Sakura, who admittedly was slowly walking back towards Uzumaki-kun.

"So... Just what is a ninja doing "playing ninja," hm?" She asked, the depression caused by Uchiha's words still affecting her greatly.

The boy rubbed the back of his head as the academy students, Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, stood nearby. "Uh, yes? Can we help you?"

"Hey, nii-chan, who's the babe?" Konohamaru demanded to know while pointing at my sister.

Uzumaki-kun merely rubbed the back of his head more while blushing.

Konohamaru pouted a bit as he stared at my little sister. Suddenly, he smiled and put his fist in his palm. He then began tugging on Uzumaki-kun's sleeve while whispering rather loudly, "Hey, nii-chan, seeing as how you're so smart and suave and all..."

"Hunh?" Uzumaki-kun asked as he snapped out of his daze.

"The hottie... I can tell... You and she are..." He raised up his left pinky finger. "You knowwww! Right?"

Sakura jolted, immediately fueled with anger.

Uzumaki-kun laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "For little guys, you sure catch on quick."

"Wrong!" Sakura yelled as she punched the boy with all her might, sending him into the nearby fence.

"Nii-chan!" The three children exclaimed.

"Wh-what did you do that for?!" Konohamaru yelled shakily as he stood before Uzumaki-kun.

"You're our leader! You can't die!" Udon exclaimed as he looked at Uzumaki-kun worriedly with Moegi hovering nearby.

"You total witch!" Konohamaru screamed like a deadman.

Sakura cracked her knuckles before beating up Konohamaru and Uzumaki-kun. She then turned heel and snapped, "Let's go, Ren!"

"Coming," I replied lamely as I walked after her.

"Konohamaru, are you okay?" Udon asked.

"Yesh!" Konohamaru hissed as he sat up while holding his head. "That broad-browed, firebreathing hag! Is she even a real female?!"

I stopped before quickly sliding to the side of the road. I watched as Sakura turned her head over her shoulder in a shaky manner, her smile demonic as she glared into the souls of the damned.

And then, the five were off and running.

I gave a sigh as I jogged after Sakura, who was running after Konohamaru, Uzumaki-kun, Moegi, and Udon. I watched as two people appeared around the corner and gave another sigh as Konohamaru ran right into the male.

"That hurt!" The boy a few years older than me said as he glared down at the boy. He wore black clothes, and his headband indicated he, as well as the female standing next to him, was from Sunagakure.

I moved to the front of the group as he grabbed Konohamaru by his scarf and lifted him into the air. "Okay, I see two ways this can go down. You could either release the grandson of the Hokage and accept his apology, or we can do it the nasty way."

Konohamaru decided to make everything worse by giving a laugh. "Hah! Hear that?! I'm the grandson of the Hokage!"

The boy was clearly not tolerant with little kids since his grip only tightened.

I gave a sigh before pulling out a kunai and throwing it towards the boy's neck.

He moved out of the attack's way and gave a laugh. "You guy-"

I teleported to the kunai, caught it, and then landed on the boy's puppet. I grabbed ahold of his hair through the thing he was wearing on his head as I put my kunai to his neck. "I don't care who you think you are, but here in Konohagakure, we have a few rules."

"H-how did you...?" The boy asked, his eyes wide as he looked back at me.

The girl next to him looked just as surprised as she stepped back and grabbed for the fan on her back.

"I'm not feeling to good today, so I'd rather not get in trouble for spilling your blood everywhere," I growled as I looked between the two. My grip then tightened on the boy's hair as I gave him my full attention. "Now either let the little shit go, or I'm going to kill you, her, and the ginger dickhead in the tree."

The two from Suna flinched, and Konohamaru dropped to the ground. Their eyes immediately darted around as they tried to find the other shinobi from Sunagakure.

I released the boy I was standing on before jumping to the ground. I then assisted Konohamaru over to Uzumaki-kun and the gang. I gave a small sigh before looking over to the same tree from before. "Your timing is terrible, Uchiha. Learn some urgency, will you? And the ginger, would you stop glaring into my soul? You're not going to find anything there."

The boy from before gave a shaky smile. "H-hey, Gaara-"

"You're a disgrace to our entire village, Kankuro," the red-head commented as his sea-foam green eyes glared down at his little travel buddies. The oddest part about him was either the fact he had a tattoo right above his left eye that said 'love' or the large gourd on his back. "It annoys me that you'd lose control in a quarrel with children! Have you forgotten why we came here?"

"But Gaara..." The boy suddenly pointed towards us. "They started it. The little one slammed into me!"

"Shut up... or I'll kill you," Gaara threatened.

Kankuro flinched away and began shaking in fear. "You're right. I was out of line."

"We're sorry... Okay, Gaara?" The female added, "Really, really sorry!"

The ginger looked back at me before saying, "Sorry about my friends."

"I apologize about mine as well. No harm done in the end, right?" I asked as I stood before my group, the Uchiha still in the tree like a damn bird or something.

The boy simply blinked before turning into sand that appeared between Kankuro and the female he was with. He soon appeared from the sand and said, "I know we're a little early, but we didn't come here to play around."

"I swear it won't happen again," Kankuro promised.

"Let's go," Gaara ordered.

"Wait!" Sakura demanded, making Gaara look back at her.

"Yes?" He asked.

"According to your headbands, you three come from Sunagakure. Your country is one of Konoha's allies, but according to our treaty, you ninja are not permitted to cross the border without authorization!" Sakura explained, making me internally facepalm.

"Believe it or not, the guards are actually doing their duties today," I said as I looked down at her, my arms crossed. "And as for why they're here, it'd be for the chunin exams that are starting in a week."

"That's right," the female confirmed, a smirk on her face with her hand on her hip. "At least one of you isn't a complete dud."

"They're uninformed, not duds," I replied as I looked at her with increasing amounts of disinterest.

"Well, they could use some information then," the girl sassed before showing her travel papers. "As you guessed, we're genin ninja from Sunagakure. We're here to take the chunin selection exam."

"What's the chunin selection exam?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"You really don't know?" She replied before crossing her arms. "Genin ninja are sent from the Suna and the minor lands between our home and yours to compete against Konoha's own candidates."

"Why test us all together?" Uzumaki-kun questioned.

"Mainly to maintain the skill of all shinobi at the same high level of excellence. Also to foster friendship and understanding between ninja. And, of course, to maintain the balance of power between the lands themselves," she answered.

"Hey, Konohamaru! Maybe I should enter this chunin selection exam too, huh?" He asked the young boy excitedly.

"Listen, you! When you ask someone a question, it's considered good manners to listen to their entire answer!" The Suna female yelled.

"Forgive him. He's a bit slow on the uptake, so you usually have to dumb it down for him," I apologized before looking back at Uzumaki-kun. "Apologize for your rude behavior."

The blonde huffed before mumbling, "Sorry."

"Good. Now, you can't just waltz into the chunin exams. You must be recommended for it. Kakashi-sensei will decide based on our skill," I explained to the boy, whose eyes spark at the thought of his desire being so close in reach.

Uchiha suddenly decided to join the party and got out of his tree. "Hey! You there! What's your name?"

"Huh? W-who, me?" The girl asked.

"No! I was talking to the spook beside you," Uchiha clarified.

"That was rather rude. Don't you know it's customary to give out your own name first?" I scolded as I shoved my hands into my pockets. I sighed at him before looking at the female. "My name is Haruno Ren. What's your name?"

"Call me Temari," she replied flirtatiously.

I gave a small hum before elbowing Uchiha. "And that's how you do an introduction. Try being polite sometimes. It may get you somewhere."

The boy grit his teeth before saying, "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. And you...?"

The red-haired boy didn't reply immediately. "Subaki no Gaara, at your service."

"Great. And the last one is Kankuro, right?" I asked as I looked towards the guy with purple face paint. "Sorry about before. The blonde is Naruto, and the pinkenette is Sakura. Glasses is Udon, Scarf is Konohamaru, and the last girl is Moegi. Now that we're all acquainted, let's part ways and move on with our lives. Deal?"

The three seemed to agree since they departed rather quickly.

"Great. Problem solved," I said before looking down at the ground, my hands still twitching in my pockets. Sado has been leaking through. Having three different things sealed at once may be too much, even for me. Either that, or I just need more seals. Ugh, I'm failing so bad at this. She's going to hate me.

"Come on, Ren," Sakura called, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Coming," I replied as I trailed after her rather unenthusiastically. I followed her back home where I immediately went to my room and just laid under my bed.

Lee-senpai came by again, but I couldn't bring myself to face him. He was always so kind and willing to spar. His heart would probably break if I told him I no longer felt the energy to even eat anymore.

I just laid on my floor until I recalled that I was supposed to met I up with Kakashi-sensei. I eventually saw a bird souring in the sky through my window and showed up to the place where I was supposed to meet the jônin.Of course, I internally facepalmed for showing up on time. I sat down at the edge of the bridge and leaned against one of the poles. I closed my eyes and got comfortable while waiting for the idiotic man.

He showed up eventually, and poked my face in order to make me wake up. His black eye showed amusement as I opened my eyes with slight confusion. "Time to wake up."

I released a small hum as I blinked away my sleepy state. "You wish to speak with me, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I have some concerns," he confessed, making me raise an eyebrow.

"About the chunin exams? We already know they're coming up. You don't have to recommend us," I said as I waved his concern off easily.

"No, not about that. Why don't you have any masochist tendencies anymore?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

I stared at him blankly before raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"You don't act like yourself, jumping right into trouble without a second thought. You've been avoiding getting injured, just like you've been avoiding saying anything with even the smallest hint of sarcasm. Why?" He asked sternly.

I gave a sigh as I remained in my spot. "You assume that I'm not acting like myself, but do you even know who I really am?"

"Of course I do-"

"No," I interrupted as I forced myself to give him a smile. "No one knows what I'm truly like, and no one ever will."

"This attitude of yours is going to get you killed," Kakashi-sensei scolded, concern flooding his features.

I chuckled as I shook my head. "No. It's going to keep others safe."

"How?" He demanded to know. "How do you think this will keep anyone safe?"

"Discretion is the better part of valor. Caution is preferable to rash bravery. Caution is the eldest child of wisdom, and safety is the child of caution," I replied, tying a few quotes together to get my point across.

Kakashi-sensei did not look satisfied with that answer. "Who says you have to hold that caution close when you are here in the village?"

"Words are powerful tools. Sometimes, they cut deeper than any blade," I said in honest retaliation.

"So you're going to hide your words away and act like everything is fine?" He pressed.

"Is there really something so wrong with that if it keeps everyone happy?" I questioned, making the man narrow his eye at me.

"And how is it making me happy?" Kakashi-sensei snapped, his own arms now crossed.

"You're not everybody, and everybody is not you. Or at least to me, you're not," I replied as I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the bridge's pole once again. "My everybody is more different than you may expect. There are five main key players, along with several other minor ones. My key players decide everything, though two of those players are as good as dead. The third is very close to being dead, and the last two will always be on the same side as each other. The minor players... Their opinions don't matter, so long as the five main players can come up with and agree on an action for me to follow. So what I do is not for you, but for my everybody."

"What can I do to become a main player?" He asked, surprising me with how serious he sounded.

I opened my eyes to look at the determination he held before chuckling softly. "There is nothing you can do. My heart and mind will let you in if you manage to thaw the cold outer shell that I have."

"How can I do that?" The man pressed.

"You must wait patiently. That is the only way," I answered, my eyes closing themselves once again.

He grabbed ahold of my shoulders before shaking me a bit. "Ren, please. Tell me. I can't allow you to go anywhere without you at least showing some of your old self again."

"How exactly am I supposed to show my old self when I've already destroyed it?" I asked, my bangs easily hanging in my eyes.

Kakashi-sensei's grip tightened momentarily, before just dropping away. "If that's the case, you're going to turn in your headband right away. I've made this mistake once, and I'm not going to do it again."

I looked up at him with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean?"

He stood up and stared down at me with a rather stern expression. "I'm saying you aren't fit to be a shinobi anymore. Turn your headband into Hokage-sama and find a civilian job."

I gave a small shrug. "If you insist."

"I'm serious, Ren. Go now. I'm not waiting around for you to slaughter your entire family," the man growled while pointing towards the Hokage's building.

I blinked once before my eyes widened. "You worked on a team with Itachi?"

He didn't reply, so I took that as a 'yes.'

It was my turn to stand up while being all offended. "Oh, so you get to ask me questions about the weasel, but it doesn't go the other way?"

"Go," he repeated sternly, his black eye narrowing.

"Not until you tell me when you worked with him," I replied stubbornly.

He gave an aggravated sigh before saying, "We worked together in the ANBU. I used to be his captain."

I looked down at the bridge as that information floated around my head. Itachi-senpai was an ANBU member right before the Uchiha Massacre. If he worked under Kakashi-sensei, surely he got the whole teamwork talk. Even though they said Itachi-senpai worked alone, I wonder if he had help in some way. Hm... Help to massacre an entire clan of specialized shinobi. Yes, that would make the most sense now that I think about it. If Kakashi-sensei really was his team captain, and if you factor in whatever Shisui-senpai said to Itachi-senpai before he died, then maybe the weasely bitch ended up coming to some retarded conclusion about how to deal with his clan. Though the ultimate question would be what did his clan do to get him so out of whack?

"Ren!"

I snapped out of my trance to look up in confusion. I watched as Kakashi-sensei quickly hid away the concern in his eye before asking, "Uh, yeah?"

"Stop spacing out and go turn your headband in before I do it for you," he ordered.

If I do cease to be a shinobi, I wonder if I'll be treated as badly if I leave and go searching for answers. If I could find closure for Duckass, then maybe he'll finally take an interest in Sakura. Of course the mere thought of letting Uchiha rub his dirty duck hands all over my sister is disgusting, but it will make her happy. Then again, we're only twelve and there is a slight possibility she'll get over her obsession with the Duckass. Then again, not being around to protect Sakura will be quite worrisome. I gave a long hum before looking up at the man who had decided that reading his porn books was better than trying to snap me from my trance. "Question."

He looked over at me with great annoyance.

"Did you recommend us for the chunin exams?" I asked.

"If I say yes, will you show your real self?" The silver-haired man asked back.

"I hate being answered with a question. Like, a simple yes or no would do-" I cut myself off with a hiss. The palms of my hands immediately flew to my eyes. As I put pressure on my eyes in hopes of alleviating the pain, Kakashi-sensei had begun to worry once again.

"What happened? Are you okay?" He asked like some anxious mother.

"Yes, fuck off!" I replied before hissing again. Okay, my new seals are clearly not cooperating with each other like they should. Not only has Sado been showing up quite a bit, but these headaches are not supposed to happen. I don't have enough time to rework everything if he really did recommend us for the chunin selection exams. Ugh, I'm so fucking screwed!

"Hey, look at me. Tell me what's wrong," he demanded as he pulled his hands away from my eyes.

I took in a deep breath before calming myself down. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

The man did not look pleased. "Ren, I swear to kami-sama-"

"Look," I interrupted as I put my palms up and turned my wrists around so they'd be facing him. "Okay, so I'm not going to kill my family. I'm just going through some puberty issues right now, and I want to deal with them alone. A lot has been on my mind since the whole bridge battle thing, and I just need some space. Once I've finally sorted through everything, I'll be back to my old self. Okay?"

Kakashi-sensei's eye narrowed at me as if he didn't think I was telling the truth, not that I was, but he didn't need to know that. Finally, he backed off with a small sigh. He released my wrists before rubbing the back of his head. "How long will it take you to sort through everything?"

"I don't know. My thoughts have been pretty jumbled lately, especially since the chunin exams are a week away. I'm sure they'll only get more jumbled the closer the date comes for the actual exam. I'm sorry for worrying you." I gave a bow to help solidify my words even though I was actually lying my ass off.

"No... No, it's fine. I should have realized you've been dazed a lot more recently. Please don't do anything reckless though. And don't hesitate to talk to me if you ever need anything," he said as he eased up considerably.

I gave a nod, and the two if us awkwardly stood there for a few seconds. "So..."

"Uh, yeah. I'm going to go now. Don't forget what we talked about." The silver-haired jônin then shunshined away.

That was the awkwardest finish to a conversation I've ever had, and I've had some pretty fucking weird conversations with myself, I thought with a deadpanned expression. I then shook myself out of it and returned home as stealthily as possible. I resumed laying down under my bed so guilt about avoiding Lee-senpai and his team wouldn't decide to bite me in the ass.

It still did, but at least I didn't have to see my senpai's heartbroken expression to make me feel like even more of a heartless bastard.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

He saw me, he saw me, he saw me! I internally screeched as I speed-walked towards the bridge were I was supposed to meet the rest of my team.

"Ren-kun!"

I cringed before giving an internal sigh. I stopped walking and turned around to see Lee-senpai. "Yes? I have to meet up with my team, so let's make this quick."

"A-ah, sorry," the boy stuttered, making me internally punch myself across the face. He quickly got his springtime of youth back and said with a salute, "I wanted to tell you about training since you've been missing it lately!"

"I'm sorry," I apologized with a bow before standing back up. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors about Kakashi-sensei recommending us for the chunin exams. I need to be there for my team, so I can't really train with you guys for a little while."

"I see! That makes perfect sense! I'll tell Gai-sensei!" Lee-senpai exclaimed before shooting off, just as full of energy as ever.

I want to kill myself for lying to him. How could I do this to him? He's been nothing but kind to me, and now I'm just being an asshole. How could Itachi-senpai even think about lying to everyone like this? It's seriously the worst, I thought as I dragged myself to the bridge where we had to meet Kakashi-sensei.

"Ren! You're late!" Sakura yelled as soon as she saw me.

Please, punch me to death, I thought as I mumbled, "Sorry..."

"Sheesh! Okay, look! Are we going to just stand around and let him get away with this?! Why is it, whenever we get called out, we end up waiting like dopes for the challenger to show?!" Sakura yelled.

"She's right! Say it, Sakura-chan!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he threw his right fist into the air.

"I mean, think about how I feel. I overslept, and I didn't even get to blow-dry my hair!" My twin complained.

"Yeah! It's not right! I overslept too, and I didn't even pause to wash my face or brush my teeth!" Uzumaki-kun added in.

"Ew. Gross," Sakura mumbled, making the boy laugh nervously while rubbing the back of his head.

By that point in time, I had rested myself against the railing of the bridge and started drifting off to sleep. When I woke up, Kakashi-sensei still hadn't showed up. I gave a yawn as I stretched before asking, "What time is it?"

"About time for Kakashi-sensei to show up," Sakura snapped as she put her hands on her hips.

And so the devil himself- Wait... No, sorry. That was just Kakashi-sensei being summoned by the sass.

Kakashi-sensei finally appeared by crouching down on top of one of the over head pillars. He held his left hand up while giving a closed-eye smile. "Morning, guys. Today, I wondered a bit from the path of life..."

"You are such a liar! Would it kill you to at least pretend to be sorry?!" Sakura and Uzumaki-kun yelled as they pointed at the jônin.

I sighed as I stood up and patted my clothes off.

Kakashi-sensei hopped down and said, "In any case..." He pointed his right index finger into the air. "This may surprise you, but I've recommended all four of you for the chunin selection exam."

"Huh?!" Sakura exclaimed as I recalled my conversation with Kakashi-sensei.

If he recommended me, was he just trying to scare me into my old ways so something bad wouldn't happen during the chunin exams? Man, what a complicated way to deal with the problem... I stared at the man blankly.

"Say what?!" Sakura suddenly yelled, her hand clenched tightly into a fist.

"Good one, Kakashi-sensei. You almost had us," Uzumaki-kun added in.

Uchiha remained stoic even though it was clear he was somewhat disappointed by the thought of not being able to attend the chunin exams.

Kakashi-sensei suddenly whipped out four pieces of paper and held them towards us. "You have to fill out applications."

Uzumaki-kun suddenly lunged at the jônin and held him tightly. "I love you, Kakashi-sensei!"

Okay, just this once, I thought as I slid over to Uzumaki-kun, who was being pushed off by Kakashi-sensei.

"Get off! You're embarrassing me!" The man yelled as he finally got the blonde off of him.

I leaned in close to Uzumaki-kun before asking with a large smirk, "So you love him, huh? When's the wedding?"

"Hey! I didn't mean it like that!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he jumped away.

"Oho?" I replied with my hand in front of my face as I will-powered past my sarcasm seal.

"You know I didn't mean it that way!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he pointed at me dramatically.

I snickered at the embarrassment that coated his cheeks before tasting something metallic. I stuck my tongue out as I looked down towards said muscle. "Iz that bwood?"

"Your nose started bleeding!" Sakura exclaimed as she came rushing over, shoving the poor blonde to the ground as she did so.

I blinked once before just pulling out my I decided to stop trying to give it to Kakashi-sensei by that point handkerchief. I wiped the blood away and thought I'd be fine until Sakura punched my head.

"You idiot! Your nose is still bleeding! Put the handkerchief back!" My little twin sister yelled.

"Okay!" I chimed as I put the bloodied fabric back up to my nose.

"Why'd your nose start bleeding? You weren't hit or anything," Uchiha asked as he stared at me.

It's because I didn't shut the sarcasm up. My seal decided to punish me for it. But I'm not going to tell any of that to you, especially since you're ducky mind wouldn't able to comprehend it, I thought as I looked past him at Kakashi-sensei.

"In any case," the man said once he finished handing out the four application papers, "If any of you don't wish to compete, the exam is entirely voluntary. The choice is yours. You needn't turn in those application forms unless you want to. If you do, report to room 301 at the academy by 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. That's all." And so, he disappeared swiftly.

I looked down at the paper before looking over at Uzumaki-kun and Uchiha, the latter glancing back at me suspiciously before walking off in the same direction as Uzumaki-kun.

"Hey, Ren..." Sakura mumbled, making me look at her curiously.

My eyes widened a bit at her saddened look. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think I should go," she mumbled as she lowered her head and turned away from me a bit. She rubbed her arm as tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm just... I'm so weak compared to you three, and I'd hold you all back-"

"Sakura, look at me," I demanded as I straightened up.

Her jade eyes quickly snapped over to me, especially since she wasn't used to such an authoritative tone from me.

"You may be my little sister, but you excel past me in many ways. You're people-smart and are very reliable. Who was is that Uzumaki-kun went to when he couldn't understand chakra control?" I asked before giving the answer straight away, "You. Who was it that looked after Uchiha when he fell into that false death? You. Who was it that mastered chakra control easily and without any prior practice? You. Who is it that Kakashi-sensei always asks the questions to? You. And who gives full and correct answers? You."

The tears in her eyes began to overflow at those words.

"You're a smart, highly intelligent, and beautiful young woman. You're the glue that holds this team together, and you deserve to know that. Sure, taijutsu and ninjutsu aren't your strong point, but I'll be damned if genjutsu and chakra control aren't. Surely you will one day be able to defeat even the strongest opponents should you train hard." I took in a small breath as I relaxed. I looked at Sakura with a soft smile before bringing her forehead to rest against mine. "Sakura... You will become a strong kunoichi, and I promise that I will always support you. Even if I'm away on a mission or in a coma in the hospital, my heart will always be there for you. I'm glad to have someone like you as my dear little sister."

She broke down into loud sobs as she hugged me tightly. She buried her face into the crook of my neck, wetting me with tears, not that I minded.

As I hugged her, I felt the feeling of eyes on us. I looked around before spotting a transformation of some Amegakure shinobi. I narrowed my eyes at it before realizing it was Iruka-sensei due to his chakra. 'Later,' I mouthed to the man, who thankfully seemed to catch on since he departed.

What he actually wanted was left up to my imagination as I comforted my twin.

"H-hey, Ren... Are-ren't you s-scared?" Sakura mumbled, hiccups breaking up her words as she calmed herself down.

"Of course I am, silly," I replied softly as rubbed her back gently. "I don't know what will happen in this exam, and I'm afraid that I won't be ready for it. I'm scared that I won't be able to pass, but most of all... I'm terrified that I won't be able to protect those precious to me."

Her grip on me tightened for a moment before she released me. She stepped back from my hold and quickly rubbed her eyes. "You've always been protecting me. Why not let me protect myself?"

I chuckled, making her look at me curiously. "You're my precious little twin. If I don't at least try to protect you, what kind of big brother am I?"

"I-I see..." She gave a small smile as she lifted her head up. "Thank you, for that, but..." Her green eyes looked away, and she rubbed her arm. "I really do need to think it over first, okay?"

"Of course. I'll meet you at home," I said as I stepped aside and let her go wherever.

Sakura departed while looking down at the application with a truly thoughtful look.

I bit my lip as I watched her go. This lack of self-confidence isn't good. She's going to doubt herself so much, she'll eventually be a hazard to herself and the entire team. If she feels lacking in her abilities, that will show in battle, which in turn will make her the weak point. I definitely need to keep on top of that. Well, either that or make up for her slack. But if Kakashi-sensei senses the disruption in the team, he's bound to do something stupid.

"So... You could see through it?"

"Yeah. Your chakra gave you away. I've been training lately to make myself more rounded when it comes to sensory. That, and after the years I've spent around your chakra, it's no surprise that I'd recognize you," I explained before looking back at Iruka-sensei, who was still transformed. "Are you going to test everyone?"

"The rookies, yes. Having you guys all signed up for the chunin selection exams even though you graduated not that long ago..." Iruka-sensei trailed off upon seeing my slightly annoyed look.

"If we can survive two S-Rank criminals, we can survive the chunin exams. Besides..." I looked away from him and gave a grin. "We haven't been slacking off, you know. We've done the chakra tree climbing, and I've gone a step further to walking on water. We've all progressed quite well."

"Is that so? Well, I'll test that myself." And with that, Iruka-sensei departed.

Jackass, I thought before giving a small sigh. Still... I couldn't see through the genjutsu right away. If I'm going to protect her, I need to be stronger. I clenched my hands into fists before walking off to the nearest training ground. I will get stronger!

"Oh! You showed up after all!" Lee-senpai exclaimed as I made my appearance in the training grounds filled with Tenten-san's poor training dummies.

"Fight me," I demanded as I got into a fighting position straight away.

"Eh?" The boy asked before perking up. "Yosh! Your Springtime of Youth is strong today! Let's spar!"

I waited for him to get into his own fighting position while Tenten-san decided to be the judge of the match.

As soon as she gave us the signal to start, Lee was coming at me.

I quickly dodged under his punch before blocking the kick he sent at me. I found my opening as he began to jump back. As my eyes locked onto his right kidney, he sent a hand towards my neck in the hopes that I'd back off.

The black-eyed boy was wrong, especially since I was multi-talented.

I grabbed his hand harshly before shooting my other arm forwards to punch his kidney as hard as I could.

Lee-senpai quickly backed off while holding his side. "Hah hah! You're getting better at straight jabs!"

He's not taking me seriously. Then I'll have to go all-out, I decided as I went after the boy, my hand involuntary twitching for my kunai pouch for a split-second.

Lee-senpai swung his leg forwards, causing me to jump with my own kick aimed towards his face. Since he was undoubtedly the fast of us two, he was able to stop his kick and send another towards my quickly moving leg.

Once our legs connected, a loud crack filled the air. We stared at each other silently as if asking without words if that really just happened.

"Um... That came from you guys..." Tenten-san mumbled as she looked between us worriedly.

The two of us separated and silently stared down at our right legs, the ones that clashed with each other.

"So... If my leg is broken... Can I be carried to the hospital?" I asked as I looked at Lee-senpai with concern flooding my facial expression. "I mean... It'd be faster to get there, and we have the chunin exams tomorrow..."

Lee-senpai's face paled upon remembering that fact.

"Would you two hurry up and check?!" Tenten-san demanded.

"R-right!" My senpai and I replied loudly whilst saluting. We then pulled our leg warmers down.

"You... You broke my training weights! I just got them!" I yelled at the boy clad in green.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Lee-senpai exclaimed as he quickly came over. Once he saw my training weights were seriously broken, he wilted greatly. "I-I really am sorry Ren-kun..."

"I won't have enough money to replace these until next month. Gai-sensei is going to be upset with me. He's going to not let me train with you guys for the next week! It's not fair!" I complained as to not give away the fact I had been avoiding pretty much everyone ever since my team got back from Nami no Kuni.

"Just don't tell him," Tenten-san mumbled as she looked at me like I was a moron.

"But that would mean dishonesty towards Gai-sensei!" I exclaimed, earning a nod of approval from Lee-senpai.

"I'll talk to him, and I promise your punishment won't be that bad," the black-haired boy with a bowl cut assured me before hugging me close.

He smells nice today, I thought as I returned his hug before pausing. Hey! We agreed to leave the precious boy alone! I'm not good enough for him, and I know it!

"Oh, right. Ren, is it actually true that your team is competing in the chunin exams?" Neji asked.

"No way! It probably has something to do with the rivalry among the jônin," Tenten-san commented as she began to flip around a kunai.

"Hey! I'm at least somewhat competent. And besides, my team has the Uchiha Duckass and Uzumaki-kun. My sister is also there, but if you target her, we're going to have fucking problem," I said, my eyes glaring between the three at the last sentence.

"Oh, right! The Uchihas have a legendary kekkei genkai - the sharingan!" Lee-senpai exclaimed as he jumped back and got himself all pumped up again.

"Yeah, he awakened it," I said with a small shrug.

Neji snorted. "Well, I doubt he knows how to use it well."

"I'm sorry that not everyone can be a prestigious well-known clan member like yourself," I said sarcastically while glaring at the Hyuuga.

The boy glared back at me with his piercing, pupilless, lavender-colored eyes.

The tension between us rose dramatically before Lee-senpai stepped in. "So your sensei is Kakashi, right?"

"Hm?" I asked as I immediately forgot about the dude that had a bigger stick shoved up his ass than Uchiha. "Oh, yeah."

"The Kakashi? That's interesting..." Neji commented.

"Well, either way..." Tenten-san stopped messing around with her kunai and threw it at the dummy that was hanging right above Neji. Her kunai hit the centre of the target, just as it always had.

"It all has a very sad sound to it," Neji finished.

"Okay, so he hasn't been as hands-on as with your team sensei. He kinda let's us do whatever, and so we're not really as well-rounded as we should be. I get that. However, rubbing it in when I am still here is a very douchebag move," I said as I narrowed my eyes at Team Gai, my hands on my hips.

"S-sorry," Lee-senpai apologized, looking quite embarrassed.

"Why'd you even show up anyways? I thought you told Lee that you had to train with your team," Neji said accusingly.

"Training was cancelled since Kakashi-sensei wanted everyone to really think over if they were ready for the chunin exams," I lied smoothly while waving the boy off.

"Do you think you're ready?" Tenten-san asked as she took out another kunai to mess with.

I looked up at the sky through the cover of the leaves. "I really don't know. I have the feeling something very bad is going to happen during the exams - something that will change many people, and not in the good way." I closed my eyes for a moment as I tried to pinpoint my fears, only for the spectrum to be too wide to be able to distinguish anything properly. With a deep sigh, I opened my eyes before looking back at Team Gai. "I have the feeling I'm not going to be around for much longer."

Lee-senpai frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged. "It's just a feeling. I'm not willing to bet on it, so let's not bother with it for now."

"If you're not willing to bet on it, doesn't that make it worse?" Tenten-san asked as she threw the kunai she was holding, allowing it to hit another dummy with pinpoint accuracy.

"I don't like betting on things that I'm not sure about. I'd hate to make a bet, and then lose my money because I ended up wrong. I'm very stingy that way," I explained, earning a small hum.

"Speaking of which, Gai-sensei just beat Kakashi earlier today. Our sensei is winning," Lee-senpai bragged.

"I bet Kakashi-sensei will win the next two times," I immediately replied as I reached for my wallet.

"Darn it!" Lee-senpai exclaimed as he threw his hands into the air before pausing. "Wait... Only the next two times? That means Gai-sensei could pull through afterwards..." He took out his small book as well as his pencil. He began to jot a few things down while mumbling to himself, earning deadpanned looks from his teammates.

"In any case, I need to check in on my sister. I'll see you guys tomorrow," I said as I finally got onto my feet. I took off my broken training weights and decided that I'd just have to change it out for one that weighed a bit less. I put my leg warmer back on and headed out whilst waving.

Of course, while I was walking back, I happened across Sakura.

She was looking rather annoyed as she came from the direction of the memorial stone.

"Sakura!" I called out to my sister, who looked back at me with very piercing eyes.

"What is it?" She grumbled.

"What happened to you?" I mumbled, not really understanding why she was acting so moody towards me.

My twin gave a deep sigh. "This weirdo cast a genjutsu on me and tried getting me to think that Sasuke-kun asked me to walk with him. Of course, I knew it was just a bluff, especially since he would never ask me something like that, or show any concern for me, or..." She gave another sigh, but that time it was filled with frustration. "I think it was a test, but it still irks me that I had to confess that Sasuke-kun would never give me the time of day."

"If it makes you feel any better, I just thought I broke my leg," I said, hoping to cheer her up. Instead, I got a punch across the face.

"How would that make me feel any better?!" Sakura yelled as her jade eyes filled with wrath directed at me.

"It turns out, I just broke my new training weights!" I chirped as I held said training weights up.

She gave me an odd look before trying to take the weights. She quickly dropped them and allowed them to make a tiny crater in the ground. "Th-there's no way those are actually yours, right?"

I gave a chuckle. "Hey, you've been punching those weights around for a long time. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Sakura looked down at her hands in shock as if not believing in her abilities.

I hopped back to my feet and picked up the training weights with ease. "In any case, these are broken, so I need to get them replaced. It's too bad Okaa-san and Otou-san still limit our allowance even though we're technically ninja now."

"Yeah, that's right. I could be buying the new shampoo that came out, but they're holding back money!" Sakura yelled, making me internally facepalm.

"Um... I hate to be the one that has to ask..." I said as I got ready for the beating of a lifetime. "Uh, so... Shouldn't shinobi necessities come before beauty products, especially when we're going to take the chunin exams soon?"

She gave me an incredibly irked look before pausing. She looked down at her feet as thoughts swam around her mind.

I stood there awkwardly, internally praying that I didn't break her somehow.

"Hey... What Sasuke-kun said the other day... Do you think he was right?" Sakura mumbled as her eyes stayed directed towards the ground.

"No. He's a duck full of shit," I replied, earning a fist to the face.

"Stop talking about Sasuke-kun like that!" She demanded before calming down. She then shrunk down a bit as she played with a section of her hair. "When he said that my skills are worse than Naruto's... Is it true?"

"Excuse me, but who mastered chakra control before the other boys?" I asked as I put my hands on my hips. "Who's smarter than both of those losers?"

"But what about my actual skills?" She pressed as she looked deep into my eyes.

We have to go over this again just because the Duckass decided he was going to be particularly angsty and emo that day! Kami-sama, what I wouldn't give to shove him off the Hokage monument and make it look like suicide! I internally screeched before calming Sado down. "First off, Uchiha only said that because he's an asshole, and he was on his man period that day." I ignored the dirty look she gave me. "Second, name one type of jutsu Uzumaki-kun can actually perform better than you save for the kage bunshin jutsu, which is technically a forbidden technique?"

Sakura blinked for a few seconds before recalling that she was significantly better than Uzumaki-kun when it came to most jutsus. "But... What about taijutsu?"

"Sakura, please. He's literally been fighting for the chance to live his entire life. Have you not seen the shit the villagers give him?" I sassed, only to feel my seal start to get seriously worked up. I decided to reach into my shirt and took that seal off. I shoved it into my kunai pouch and ignored the weird look my sister gave me. "Of course he's good at taijutsu. And before you compare yourself to Uchiha, his clan is literally known for being fighting monsters. We come from a civilian household, not one that has had shinobi history for literal generations. Let's keep the expectations realistic, okay?"

"I mean... How long has his clan been around?" Sakura asked.

"They were one of the two clans that actually formed Konohagakure. They're fucking old, okay?" I replied, earning a shocked look. I gave her a nod before brushing those facts aside. "Besides, your genjutsu skills are also better than Uzumaki-kun's. If he got caught in a genjutsu, his ass would be grass."

"But what about me compared to you?" My twin pressed, making me pause.

"What do you mean?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"You have better skills than me in everything but genjutsu, which you nearly failed at," she pointed out.

I took in a deep breath before sighing. I was ready to give her the I'm-actually-a-worthless-piece-of-garbage-and-here-are-all-of-my-flaws talk. "Let me remind you that boys often sparred while you girls went flower arranging and all that other jazz. I had you teach me all about that stuff, but never once did I offer you lessons on the taijutsu we learned. In that way, of course I'd be more physically fit than you from the beginning.

"Next is the fact that I've been training with a team of genin for the past year with practically no one else knowing. I mainly did it for my masochist tendencies, especially since both the teacher and the favorite pupil are taijutsu experts.

"Also, you know that seals are very complicated and something that I've been working with for several years. Those alone should indicate very rapid progress when it comes to ninjutsu. Since I threw myself into the world of seals, I had to become good through trial and error.

"And to tell you what, I still suck at making proper seals. The seals I just recently made have been backfiring on me, making me bleed and get massive headaches. As an extension, my control of ninjutsu will also be iffy should my seals be extremely iffy.

"Then, I'd like to add in the fact that I typically freeze up in battle. At the bridge, you at least tried to help Uchiha. I was so caught up in my own little world that I dropped the ball big time in the teamwork department. The main time I stepped in was because Momochi was an fucking asshole that tried cutting through his travel buddy's literal fucking body, and that's not cool!" I paused for a split-second as I recalled that then was not the time to rant to Sakura about how much of a asshole Momochi was and how he deserved nothing but the flames of hell.

"Anyways, I also do suck at genjutsu. I should actually try to fix that before working on sensory stuff, but my priorities are always really fucked up, so..." I trailed off with a shrug.

"Basically, you're saying that you just have a headstart on me, right?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," I replied with a nod of my head. "You're at the level you should be, but I'm above said level because I'm an asshole that's always been a nerd."

"Should I be a nerd too then?" She mumbled nervously.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura... Sakura," I said as I grabbed her shoulders and made her look me dead in the eyes. "You be whatever you want to be. If you want to be a member of Konoha's Seduction Unit, fine by me. If you want to become a genjutsu expert, good for you. If you want to become the best medical ninja in this entire world, great! It's all up to you, okay? I'm not going to decide anything for you because it's your life."

"You're not making this easy," she deadpanned.

"Thank you," I replied even though I knew it was an insult.

"Okay, but do I have enough skills to be a chunin?" My little sister questioned.

"I'm kinda sure you could beat Iruka-sensei in a fight, so probably," I answered despite having the gut feeling she wasn't going to actually pass the chunin exams.

She looked me deep in the eyes for a moment before relenting. "If you really think so."

I took my hands from her shoulders and whirled around. "Great! Now let's head home! I literally skipped breakfast and lunch today because of Kakashi-sensei and his dickheadedness."

"That's not a word," she mumbled as she followed after me.

"Are you telling me that I'm wrong in my description of Kakashi-sensei?" I asked as I glanced over my shoulder at her.

"No," she replied immediately.

"That's right! Hatake Kakashi is a porn-reading asshole, and everyone fucking knows it!" I declared as I marched through the streets of Konoha with my sis in tow.

Nearby, a man with a senbon in his mouth began snickering as he motioned for the other few shinobi near him to be quiet. Needless to say, that man ended up bursting out laughing the loudest.

Weirdo, I thought as I glanced over at him and the other few shinobi around him.

"Do you think Kakashi-sensei will always be late?" Sakura asked.

"Yep!" I replied even though I had the inkling he'd probably be on time if it was something really important.

"Why were we stuck with a teacher like him?" She grumbled, making me shrug.

"Well, we won't have to worry about him during the chunin exams," I chirped, making her hum.

"Let's just get home and eat dinner," she mumbled, dejection clear in her voice.

Well, it's a fifty-fifty chance that she'll actually show up to the exams at this point in time. I'll let her get up and get ready at her own pace. If she decides not to show, it'll be fine. It's her own choice after all, I thought as I took the lead.

We soon got home and ate dinner before heading off to our own rooms.

As I laid down on my bed, I couldn't help but worry about the future, especially in regards to my odd gut feeling. I'm not going to be around for much longer. Where will I go, and why? Ah, this is bad, but I don't want to freak anyone out. Perhaps I will leave to search for answers regarding Itachi-senpai, but it's also very unlikely at this point in time. Well, whatever. I need my sleep for tomorrow. I closed my eyes before mumbling softly, "Goodnight, Sakura. I love you."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

"Hey, Sakura!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he rushed over to us three.

Uchiha, Sakura, and I had already arrived at the academy and were waiting for Uzumaki-kun so we could start the exam together.

Thankfully, he showed up on time.

"Uh... Hi," Sakura greeted as she forced a smile onto her face.

Uzumaki-kun whipped his application out before pointing at a line on it nervously. "Is this where I sign my name?"

"Can't you read?" Sakura asked as she pointed out the words Uzumaki-kun had to read.

"You're not good with kanji, right? It says, "Uzumaki Naruto. I recommend the one with the name above to the chunin selection exam under my name, Hatake Kakashi. Jônin, Hatake Kakashi." You have to sign your name here," I explained while pointing at the correct place to sign.

Uzumaki-kun pulled out a pen and did so against the rough dirt of the ground.

"Alright, let's go," I directed while motioning towards the door to the academy.

"Right!" Uzumaki-kun cheered as he began to bound for the door.

"Idiot! Wait for the rest of us!" Uchiha yelled at the blonde, who paused only to glare back at his rival.

I gave a small sigh as I followed after Sakura. I was rather bored as we made it to the second floor. My boredom turned to annoyance as I saw two guards not doing their guard duty.

Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san were transformed to look like fourteen-year-olds as they stood guard of the wrong room on the wrong floor.

As Lee-senpai approached the two, Kotetsu-san hit him away.

You son of a bitch?! You dare touch my senpai in that way?! I internally screeched before my sado seal told me that I needed to calm the fuck down.

"Is someone as talentless as you really planning to take the chunin exam? Why bother? Bunch of wet-behind-the-ears snotnoses!" Kotetsu-san insulted before giving a snort.

"You said it!" Izumo-san agreed.

Bitch, you did not just insult Lee-senpai! He has more talent in the cuticle of his pinky that you will ever fucking have! I thought as I began to walk over.

Sakura grabbed me and pulled me towards her as Tenten-san began to walk towards the two guards.

"Please... We're begging you... Let us in," Tenten-san pleaded before getting punched away by Kotetsu-san.

"That's just cruel...!" Someone commented.

"What did you say?" Kotetsu-san asked before giving a smirk. "You misunderstand! We're just trying to spare you... The chunin exam is incredibly difficult... And we should know. We've failed three times so far. There are people who made it, then immediately gave up being shinobi... Others who have ended up crippled... Some reduced to vegetables... We've seen it all!"

"Whoa!" Someone exclaimed.

"Aw, man," someone else commented.

"Besides that, chunin are team commanders. They lead their units. The responsibilities for failed missions and dead shinobi rest firmly on their shoulders." Kotetsu-san wasn't wrong in that aspect, but he was still being a bit dramatic. "And you little punks have the nerve to apply?" He gave another snort. "We're saving a step by weeding out the obvious losers beforehand."

"That sounds good in theory... but you'd better let me through. And drop the force-field genjutsu you've created, while you're at it," Uchiha commended as he and the rest of our team stepped forwards. He had a cocky smirk on his face as he said, "I have business on the third floor."

"What is he talking about?" Some guy asked.

"Who knows," his teammate replied with a small shrug.

Kotetsu-san released a single laugh.

"So you figured that out, eh?" Izumo-san asked while giving his own smirk.

"It was easy. Right, Sakura? You were probably the first to notice," Uchiha stated, making my sister look over at him in surprise. He looked back while giving a genuine smile. "You're the most analytical and the best in our team at understanding the art of genjutsu."

She gave a blush before looking down. She regained all of her lost self-confidence as she looked up at the two chunin. "Heh. Of course I noticed it. Obviously, we're still on the second floor."

"Of course!" Uzumaki-kun agreed, making me look at him with a raised brow.

"Did you really know, or were you just going along to not look stupid?" I asked him softly, earning an insulted look. "...Just making sure..."

"Hey, not bad. But seeing through it isn't-" Kotetsu-san dropped his hands to the ground and began to swing his foot around to kick at Uchiha. "-enough!"

Uchiha began to kick himself, only to be interrupted.

Lee-senpai stopped both of their kicks before looking up at my sister with a sparkle in his eye. "Whew..."

"Hey... That's not what we agreed! You're the one who insisted we should avoid drawing attention to ourselves," Neji scolded as he narrowed his eyes at Lee-senpai.

"...B-... But..." Lee-senpai muttered as he looked over at Sakura with a blush.

"Here we go again," Tenten-san sighed as she shook her head, her hands placed on her hips.

Lee-senpai clenched his fist before walking over to my sis.

I decided to have his moment and instead went over to the two chunin. "Hey, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who the fuck is guarding the gate to our village? If you guys are seriously here dicking around while some weirdo could just prance into our village, I'm going to be very disappointed in you two." I crossed my arms before giving a glare at them. "Kotetsu-san... Izumo-san..."

"Eh, you caught us, huh?" Kotetsu-san asked with a snort as he rubbed the back of his head.

"We're actually proctors for the exam, and someone else is guarding the gate right now," Izumo-san whispered before giving a small wink. "Let's keep this a secret, okay?"

"So this is some ridiculous preliminary test?" I muttered.

"Actually, we're just amusing ourselves with this year's crop of candidates," Kotetsu-san replied with a smirk.

I deadpanned before deciding I had enough of their shit. "And you wonder why you're always put on guard duty..." I turned heel and walked away, ignoring the angered yelling of Kotetsu-san, who was being held back by his "best friend". (Obviously, he and Izumo-san were dating.)

"There you are Ren! Let's go!" Sakura chirped before grabbing Uzumaki-kun's and Uchiha's hand, pulling them along after her.

I gave a sigh as I shoved my hands into my pockets and followed after them.

We got to an open area that was often used as a place where classes would have sparring competitions since the area was so big. That, and the wooden floor wasn't as dirty as the grass and ground outside.

"Hey, you with the scowl... Wait up!" Lee-senpai demanded as he stood at the upper floor.

"Eep!" Sakura exclaimed, making me furrow my brow.

"What is it?" Uchiha asked.

"You and me. Here and now... Want to fight?" Lee-senpai asked.

"You want to fight me here and now...?" Uchiha repeated questioningly.

"But that's..." Sakura protested.

"Yes!" Lee-senpai exclaimed before jumping over the railing. He landed on the wooden floor below and gave Uchiha a determined glare. He pointed his thumb at himself before saying, "My name is Rock Lee." He pointed over at Uchiha. "Among sticklers, etiquette requires one to introduce oneself before asking for the name of another..."

"...Uchiha Sasuke," Duckass introduced before his brow furrowed slightly. "Huh... So you knew who I was all along."

"I'm calling you out!" Lee-senpai declared as he got into his fighting position. "I want to test the effectiveness of my techniques against the last surviving member of your legendary clan. Besides..." He looked over at Sakura with a blush before giving her a wink.

My little sis recoiled in disgust as tears came to her eyes. "No way! Those eyelashes creep me out!" She began trembling as she mumbled, "Not to mention that geeky 'do... Plus those caterpillar brows!"

"Hey, he's a really cool guy once you get to know him..." I mumbled as glanced at my twin.

"You're an angel!" Lee-senpai declared before blowing my sister a kiss.

Sakura quickly dodged the heart that flew towards her with a loud scream of terror.

I secretly caught the heart and held it tightly as I watched my sister pant from the emotional trauma she just went through.

Uzumaki-kun growled as he shook his fist in the background.

As Sakura returned to her feet, she put her fist up and shook it at my senpai. "You keep your weird kisses to yourself, creep! I could have died dodging that!"

"Aw... Don't be like that..." Lee-senpai muttered dejectedly.

I gave him the thumbs up regardless of my inner thought. Kami-sama, why?! I have the urge to protect my sister from all suitors, but at the same time Lee-senpai totally deserves a smart and sometimes compassionate girl like Sakura! But at the same time, I sometimes have these weird feelings for Lee-senpai! Wait! Back up! We agreed not taint the pure one! Get your shit together Ren! Lee-senpai is out of your fucking league! I know! Leave me alone!

"So you're challenging me, even knowing my lineage? In other words, you're a fool," Duckass commented, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Oh, yeah!" Sakura agreed.

"So, Dog-Brow... Do you really want to learn... what it means to be an Uchiha?" Uchiha asked as he glared at my senpai.

"He's going to kick your ass," I whispered to the duck, only to be ignored by everyone else.

"Absolutely!" Lee-senpai replied while giving a smile.

"I'm willing to bet he's going to kick your ass," I warned the Uchiha, only to be ignored yet again. Okay me, I'll take that bet. If I win, I'll hold it over Duckass forever. If I lose, I'll treat myself to some dango later. Sounds good, I'll take that bet me. Great me.

"Hold it!" Uzumaki-kun demanded before looking at my senpai with an irked expression. "Let me handle Dog-Brow. He'll be toast. Just give me five minutes..."

I smirked subtly. I bet he'll beat Uzumaki-kun's ass in five seconds. I agree! Win - Dango. Lose - Curry. Deal!

"I have no interest in fighting you. Only Uchiha," Lee-senpai stated.

Uzumaki-kun grew irked as he rushed towards the green-clad genin. "Story of my freakin' life! It's "Sasuke, this!" and "Sasuke, that!" till I could just puke!"

Lee-senpai allowed Uzumaki-kun to get within hitting distance before redirecting the boy's punch, causing the blonde to nose-dive for the floor.

Uzumaki-kun caught himself before sending a kick towards Lee-senpai. Of course, since he was off-balance, he was easy to take out.

Lee-senpai easily dodged under the kick while rotating around. "Gale Force Technique!" He hit Uzumaki-kun away, causing the boy to roll into the far wall.

The blonde was down for the count.

Lee-senpai stood up before holding his left hand behind his back in a fist. His right hand extended out towards Uchiha while his palm faced the sky. He was seriously going to kick Uchiha's ass. "Mark my words... None of you will beat me. I am the greatest fighter among all the genin in Konoha Village!"

My brow furrowed before I lifted up my mind finger. Excuse me, but there are two things wrong with your previous statements. A) I could so kick your ass if I added in some kunais and ninjutsu... Probably... Maybe not, I never tried. I'm not willing to bet on anything. B) Neji can still kick your ass, and I would totally bet on that one!

"This could be fun. I accept your challenge," Uchiha stated as he gave a smirk.

"Oh! Don't do it, Sasuke-kun! We have less than half an hour to submit our applications!" Sakura exclaimed.

I glanced over to the clock and saw that it was 3:34, meaning we only had 26 minutes left to submit our applications.

"This will only take five minutes!" Uchiha yelled as he ran at Lee-senpai.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed.

I leaned over to her and whispered, "You know the Duckass is going to lose, right? 1,000¥, right here, right now. I'm willing to bet."

Her excitement turned to horror as she watched Lee-senpai move quickly.

"Konoha Hurricane!" The black-haired taijutsu expert yelled as he jumped into the air. He swung his foot around, only to kick air as Uchiha ducked down. He landed on the ground and quickly swung his foot around again.

Duckass tried blocking the attack, but his speed wasn't nearly as fast as Lee-senpai's. He got kicked across the face and was sent a few meters away.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed.

As Uchiha began to get up, he glared fiercely at Lee-senpai.

The boy wearing orange leg warmers smirked as he got back into his standard fighting position.

Yep. Uchiha's finally gonna get knocked down a peg, I thought as I gave a small smile.

Uchiha gave a smirk as he activated his sharingan, showing two tomoes is both eyes.

Lame! By the time Itachi-senpai was your age, he had graduated, passed the chunin exam by himself, and became a fucking ANBU member! You're not shit! I thought as I sassily crossed my arms.

Uchiha once again charged for Lee-senpai, only to be high-kicked into the air. Blood came from his mouth as he glared down with one eye.

"Exactly..." Lee-senpai said as he knelt down. "They're neither ninjutsu or genjutsu." He then jumped into the air and right behind Uchiha.

"S-Sasuke!" Uzumaki-kun yelled, making me turn my temporary attention to see if he was badly wounded or something to that effect.

"Ohh... Kagebuyo..." Lee-senpai said softly before glaring at the back of Uchiha's head. "That's right. No trickery. My moves are strictly physical. Hard as you may find to accept it... If your sharingan eye can see the heart of every shinobi art well enough to duplicate it, as it is said to, then you know what I said is true. I'm sure your sharingan is valuable against ninjutsu or genjutsu, with their formalized rules, sign-casting, and chakras... But physical taijutsu arts in their pure form are a very different story."

"But... How?!" Uchiha yelled as Lee-senpai held the tips of his fingers to the spine of Uchiha's back.

"Even if you can perfectly perceive and understand my movements, you lack the speed and strength to counter them. You haven't had the physical training necessary to keep up with me! It doesn't matter what your eye can see if your body's too weak to act!" Lee-senpai explained before the wrappings around his hands began to unravel.

"Lee!" I yelled angrily. "Don't you fucking dare!"

The boy ignored me. "There are two kinds of strength. The kind you're born with... And the kind you get from back-breaking work! Your sharingan is natural-born genius. I hear it runs in your family. What I have, I got through blood, sweat and tears! In other words, your subtle arts and my physical prowess make us a complete mismatch! Let me prove it to you. This particular move of mine exceeds your genius... Completely!"

My hands twitched before I quickly jumped to where they were. I caught Uchiha under my left arm as I wrapped my legs around Lee-senpai's torso, forcing his arms to his side. I glared down into Lee-senpai's black eyes as I growled, "You know that move is forbidden, Lee. What do you think Gai-sensei would say if he saw your behavior?"

"Ren is right!" Ningame yelled as he appeared, sending a pinwheel into one of Lee-senpai's wrappings in order to stop the boy just in case I failed.

I hummed as Lee-senpai was jerked to a stop. I then quickly twirled around and released the boy from a different team. I flipped around in the air a few times before finally straightening myself out. I landed easily with Uchiha held bridal style in my arms. Of course, like any sane person, I dropped him upon noticing that Lee-senpai ended up wrapped up in his wrapping from my twirling him around. I caught my senpai and muttered, "Sorry."

"It's no problem," Lee-senpai replied while giving his own sheepish smile.

I quickly grabbed onto his wrapping before pulling as hard as possible, causing him to spin like a top for a few seconds. I stopped him once he was unwrapped.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?!" Sakura exclaimed as she rushed over to the Uchiha.

Duckass shook as he glared up at Lee-senpai.

"You... You saw?" The spandex-wearing boy asked as he knelt down before Ningame. He shook a bit as an embarrassed flush sat on his cheeks.

"You know the rules, Lee. That move is strictly forbidden!" Ningame scolded.

"P-please forgive me..." Lee-senpai apologized, "I was only..."

Ningame gave a harsh glare, causing Lee-senpai to recoil.

"But! But! I... I wouldn't have used the reversal move... I never meant..." Lee-senpai opposed, his words all jumbled together as he tried to reason his actions out.

"Hey! Hey!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he came running over.

"What?" Sakura replied.

"That thing over there..." Uzumaki-kun pointed at Ningame, who was glaring at the nervously fidgeting Lee-senpai. "That's a turtle... Right?"

"Obviously!" Sakura yelled.

"So what's the deal here? Can turtles become ninja?" The blonde asked.

"Oh my fucking gods," I sighed with disbelief as my face rested in the palm of my hand.

"Don't ask stupid questions!" Sakura demanded, already being able to tell that it was a summoning.

"You fool!" Ningame yelled, causing Lee-senpai to flinch back with a small yell. "Do you think I care about your feeble excuses? Consider this repercussions of a shinobi warrior - any shinobi - baldly explaining all his secrets!"

"Y-yes sir!" Lee-senpai replied.

"I hope you are properly prepared?" Ningame said.

"Y-yes sir..." Lee-senpai muttered as he lowered his head in shame.

"Well then... He's all yours, Gai-sensei!" Ningame announced.

Gai-sensei appeared with a puff of smoke while posing dramatically. "Ah, the exuberance of youth. All of you are full of it."

My teammates were shocked, especially Uzumaki-kun since he gave a small shriek of surprise.

"He's got the biggest eyebrows yet! They're almost... alive..." Uzumaki-kun commented.

"And that same dorky 'do... They're... Uberbrows! I've never seen anything like 'em!" Sakura exclaimed.

"You get used to them," I stated blankly.

"H-hey! Don't try to make fun of Gai-sensei!" Lee-senpai yelled angrily at my teammates.

"They don't mean it!" I yelled back before glaring at my teammates. "Apologize, you assholes."

"Oh, shut up! I don't even know what to make of all the freaks who keep popping in here!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at Lee-senpai.

"Bitch, I once saw you down nineteen bowls of ramen in under a minute! Who the fuck do you think you are, a descendant from a superior alien race?!" I scolded. (Upon writing this story down many years later, I figured out the answer was technically yes.)

Lee-senpai only got more riled up. "What-"

"Lee!" Gai-sensei called while waving his hand to catch the miniature version of himself's attention.

"Huh?" Lee-senpai muttered as he looked back before recalling that Gai-sensei was actually less that a meter away. "Oh! Uh, yes sir...?"

"Idiot!" Gai-sensei yelled while punching Lee-senpai across the face, sending the boy crashing down to the ground.

Lee-senpai spat out some blood, making me internally cringe.

"Huh?!" Sakura exclaimed as the rest of my teammates looked shocked.

"You... You..." Gai-sensei said as tears began to form in his eyes.

"Sensei...!" Lee-senpai exclaimed as he shakily began to sit up.

Gai-sensei smiled down at his student as tears freely flowed down his cheeks.

"Sensei... I... I..." Lee-senpai also began to cry as he looked up at his teacher.

The two quickly embraced.

"That's enough, Lee! Not one more word," Gai-sensei demanded.

"Sensei!" Lee-senpai cried out.

"Ewww..." Sakura commented.

The other two boys had similar expressions.

"I understand it's because you're young!" Gai-sensei explained as the two shook from their tears.

"Sensei!" You know who said that.

"Doesn't it give you a warm, fuzzy feeling?" Uzumaki-kun asked while pointing at the two embracing.

"Don't be an idiot! They're up to something!" Sakura yelled as she pointed at the blonde. She then looked past him at me before asking, "Why are you crying?!"

"It's very emotional!" I screeched before quickly breathing in through my nose to get the snot all back inside of it.

Gai-sensei let Lee-senpai go before standing up. He gently patted his favorite student's right shoulder with his left hand while saying, "It's alright, Lee! Mistakes and youth go hand in hand."

"You are too kind, sensei!" Lee-senpai replied.

"But I can't let your attempt to break the big rule go unpunished. Your penalty will be to sweat after the chunin exams," Gai-sensei stated as he put his hands on his hips.

With a salute, Lee-senpai replied, "I understand!"

"Five hundred laps around the practice arena!" Gai-sensei replied as he shoved his right fist into the air.

"Yes sir!" Lee-senpai agreed, still saluting.

I quickly dried my tears up before putting my hands on my hips. "Okay, I've had enough emotions for today."

"What a dip..." Sakura muttered.

"What's the deal with that turtle thing, anyway?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"That thing is called Ningame, and as the same suggests, he's a ninja turtle summoning," I explained to the idiot, who perked up.

"Whoa, really?!" He questioned excitingly.

"Uh-oh, he's looking at us..." Sakura said, as she recoiled a bit.

"Eh?" I asked as I looked over at her.

"By the way... How is Kakashi? I'm asking you!" Gai-sensei questioned.

"You know Kakashi-sensei?" Uchiha replied.

"Do I know him?" Gai-sensei asked with a chuckle as he held his chin with his right hand.

"Bro, have you never seen him and Kakashi-sensei around town doing their challenges?" I asked the Uchiha with a look of disappointment.

Gai-sensei quickly appeared behind us, making me swerve around to look at him while he spoke. "I should say so! We're eternal rivals! The score stands at fifty to forty-nine to me."

My three teammates jolted and turned around to look at Gai-sensei in shock.

"I'm stronger than he is," Gai-sensei said as he gave his "good guy" pose.

"As you can see, Gai-sensei is totally amazing!" Lee-senpai piped up.

"All of the money in my wallet says Kakashi-sensei's going to beat you the next two times," I stated as I pulled my wallet out and waved it in front of the face of my favorite sensei.

"Drat!" Gai-sensei cursed before straightening up. "Thank you, Ren, for stepping in."

I gave him his famous pose in return. "No problem! I'm always willing to help a friend stay on the right path."

The man teared up before quickly hugging me. "Your springtime of youth never ceases to amaze me, Ren!"

"A-ah, thank you, Gai-sensei!" I exclaimed as I hugged him back.

He released me before grinning down at my teammates. He held his thumb up and said, "I know Lee started this fight, but take pity on his old teacher. For the sake of my own self-respect, forgive him." He then added softly, "Gotta save face... It's just so handsome!"

Uchiha stared at the ground, shocked beyond all belief.

"You're free to go unharmed. Youth is a very delicate thing, after all," I said as I rocked back and forth on my heels.

The man gave a joyful laugh before throwing a kunai over at the pinwheel that constricted Lee-senpai's wrapping. "You and Lee should head up to the classroom now."

Lee-senpai quickly began to wrap up his hand so he could move without it getting caught on something.

"Best of luck, Lee! Later!" Gai-sensei yelled as he jumped away at the speed of light.

"Yes sir!" Lee-senpai replied with a salute before doing the finishing touches on his wrappings.

"Hey, did you tell him?" I asked my senpai while pointing at the spot my favorite teacher had just occupied.

"Eh? O-oh! Uh, no." He gave a sheepish laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Ren-kun."

"It's fine, Lee-senpai," I said as I waved his concern off.

"I promise that I shall tell him later today!" Lee-senpai exclaimed as sparkles floated around him.

I gave him a thumbs up.

"By the way Sasuke, I was blowing smoke before. I'm really here to prove my own strength in combat. And I don't think you're the strongest Konoha genin." My senpai gave a smirk as I bit back my laughter. "The strongest genin is a member of my own team... And I intend to take him down. That's why I'm entering. And by the way... You're on my list, too."

"Your hard work shall beat his genius!" I yelled as I gave Lee-senpai my full support in the form of a hug and a nice petting of the hair.

Lee-senpai grinned wider as he returned my hug. "Thank you! I won't let you down! Your hard work will pay off, too!" He then separated from me and jumped too the second floor. "Off to apply for the exam. Be ready for it, okay?"

"Of course, senpai!" I chirped while giving him a salute. Once he was gone, I turned to my team with a stupid smile on my face. "Aren't Gai-sensei and Lee-senpai the coolest?"

Uchiha glared at me as his fists shook

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura muttered as she looked at him worriedly.

"What was that crap?" Uzumaki-kun asked with his hands behind his head, his gaze directed towards the duck. "Maybe your hot-shot, famous Uchiha Clan isn't that great after all, huh?"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled angrily at the blonde.

"...Shut up..." Uchiha demanded, "Next time, he's dead meat."

"Despite the total butt-kicking you got this time, right?" Uzumaki-kun pressed.

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura snapped.

Uchiha released a growl.

Uzumaki-kun suddenly gained a serious look. "You saw his hands, right? Old Doggy Brows probably gets some kind of super-duper extra-special training, day after day! Even more than you got. You're toast pal."

Uchiha finally seemed to understand his place, so I was finally going to be an asshole.

"Uzumaki-kun is right. Lee-senpai does have a rather rigorous training schedule, but it is he himself which pursues such activities. "I shall do 1,000 push-ups. If I cannot do 1,000 push-ups, I shall do 1,000 jumping jacks. If I cannot do 1,000 jumping jacks, I shall do 1,000 high kicks..." Lee-senpai works himself down to the bone for the sake of his dream - to prove that hard work can beat natural-born genius and prodigies." I gave a small sigh as I rubbed the back of my head. "Lee-senpai is amazing in that regard, so you're not going to have much of a chance with him."

"How do you know all of this?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"You remember that taijutsu expert and favorite student I mentioned yesterday? Gai-sensei is the taijutsu expert, and Lee-senpai is that favorite student. I've been training with them for the last year. It's also because of that training with them, as well as the knowledge I've gained from them, that I knew to step in." I looked over at Uchiha with the utmost seriousness. "If Lee would have used that move on you, you wouldn't be standing here right now. You'd be on your way to the hospital."

The black-eyed boy flinched slightly as his eyes widened. "He knows such a dangerous move?"

"And more. He knows moves so dangerous, using them once would kill him," I explained whilst thinking about the chakra gates.

The Duckass clenched his hands into fists again before suddenly relaxing himself. He then clenched his hand once again as a smirk formed on his face. "Hmmf! Things are starting to get interesting. This chunin selection exam is bringing things to a boil!"

My two teammates stared silently for a moment before brightening up.

"Well, yeah!" Uzumaki-kun agreed.

"Yep!" Sakura said at the same time as a blush began to form on her face.

"Naruto? Sakura? Ren? Let's go!" Uchiha demanded as he began to walk towards the place we needed to go to.

"Yeah!" Uzumaki-kun agreed as he followed.

Sakura simply walked silently while looking at Duckass, her blush growing larger.

I gave a small chuckle before taking up the rear.

"Hey, do you know those dangerous moves, too?" Uzumaki-kun asked while glancing back at me.

"No. Gai-sensei refused to teach me anything before I became an actual ninja. I tried learning from watching, but failed epically at my first attempt." I gave a laugh as I remembered how I gave myself a concussion and a broken wrist from attempt the primary lotus. I stopped laughing once I recalled my punishment. "Gai-sensei got so angry at me, he forbid me from training with his group until I swore that I would never attempt to learn by myself again."

"But you do know about them, right?" The blonde pressed.

"Well... There is one that I've managed to figure out on my own, but the one time I used it, I ended up going through so much mental strain, I promised myself to never perform it again," I said before sighing. I had to rip my seal off at the time since my mind was practically ripping itself in two from the power that was surging to the sealed one.

"Hold on..." Sakura demanded before suddenly glaring at me. "That time when you came back from your "mountain climbing" with a sprained ankle and bruised backbone was from training with those two freaks, wasn't it?"

"What?" I asked before remembering what she was talking about. "Oh, no. I just really wanted to climb up those mountains. Gai-sensei and Lee-senpai had nothing to do with that one."

"What about the time you thought you broke your right pinky and ring finger?" She interrogated.

"I tried making my own explosive tags and accidentally blew up a tree branch, which splintered and caught my fingers. Once again, they had nothing to do with that," I answered honestly.

The girl narrowed her eyes at me, her hands on her hips. "What about the internal bleeding you had six months ago?"

"Neji was being an asshole, and he fucking deserved what he had coming!" I yelled angrily upon remembering how Neji and I had the biggest bitch fight in the history of bitch fights after he insulted my senpai.

"Who's Neji?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"He's an asshole with such a large stick shoved up his ass, even Duckass here would be done with his shit in fifteen minutes!" I yelled while motioning to Uchiha.

Uzumaki-kun put his hands up in self-defense while Sakura punched the back of my head for insulting the legendary ducky.

"Even though he is an asshole, he gives some nice pointers when we spar together. He's a pretty good shinobi," I said as I calmed down. I then paused and thought, Wait. I don't think he's actually ever given me a verbal pointer. He just narrows his eyes and looks at me all like, 'Are you fucking retarded or something? Did you not see what I just did? Learn how to counter me, for fuck's sake.' I mean, with less curses, but it's what he basically thinks.

We finished walking to room 301 silently and without any troubles.

There, Kakashi-sensei was waiting for us. "Glad you made it after all, Sakura. This way, you all qualify for the chunin selection exam."

"What do you mean?" Sakura questioned.

"The way the test is set up, it can only be taken by three-person teams," he replied, making me lift up a hand.

"Uh, I hate to be the person that has to point this out, but there's four of us. You... uh... You can't count, Kakashi-sensei," I stated while looking at him warily.

"Ren, just go stand over there, you have something else set up," Kakashi-sensei requested while pointing a little ways down the hallway I just walked down.

I glanced over at my team before going back there.

"Um... Kakashi-sensei, you said it was up to each of us to decide whether or not to apply. Were you lying to us?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"And what about Ren?" Sakura added in.

"Ren is going to be fine. As for what I said... I said what I had to to keep your partners from pressuring you into coming along. Even if you had no interest in applying, one word from Sasuke, and you'd have come along and gone through the motions, though your heart wouldn't have been in it," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"What would have happened if Sasuke-kun and Naruto had shown up without me?" Sakura questioned.

"I'd have washed them out right here. None of you would have gotten past this point without both of the others. But you're all here because you want to be. And I'm very, very proud of you." Kakashi-sensei gave a closed-eye smile to prove the point. "Now, get in there. Ren will be entering shortly."

Sakura looked reassured, and the other two boys just looked happy to be participating.

As the three opened the doors to the room, Uzumaki-kun yelled, "Look out everybody, 'cause here we come!"

The door closed behind them, and Kakashi-sensei motioned me over.

I walked up to him hesitantly. "Erm... Did I do something wrong? Or am I going to be with another team? Or...?"

The man pinched the bridge of his nose while giving a sigh. "I was actually hoping that Sakura wouldn't have shown up, that way you'd be forced to go on the team with Sasuke and Naruto. However, since she did show up, you're..." He released an aggravated noise before looking down at me seriously. "You, as decided by the Council of Elders and Hokage-sama, shall be taking the exam alone."

I did what any sane person would have - I laughed as horror filled my expression. "That's really funny! I can't believe you're fucking with me like this though! Ah, why the hell aren't you messing with me? Please tell me you're not serious. I'm not going to waltz into death alone, right?"

Kakashi-sensei knelt down and looked at me directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but yes. You're going to be taking the exam alone, however..."

"However?" I repeated questioningly as I got ready for the worst case scenario.

"You need to hand over the seals, all of them," he replied as he extended his hand out.

"Oh, yeah," I said as I began reaching into my back pouch, only for him to shake his head.

"Not those ones," the jônin stated.

I stared at him silently for a moment. "You're... You're not serious, right?"

"I am. I need those seals, all of them. As well as the supplies you use to make those seals," Kakashi-sensei said as his fingers twitched.

"Can I not take the exam?" I mumbled, not wanting to get rid of my sado and maso seals.

"You have to now," he answered.

I grumbled before reaching down my shirt. I pulled my two seals off of my chest before handing them over to Kakashi-sensei. I then reached into my pouch and pulled out my backup seals. I also pulled out my small ink container and brush before handing them over. "I don't have the paper on me to make more seals."

"Are you lying?" Kakashi-sensei questioned sternly.

I shook my head in reply.

"I also need your training weights," he then said.

"Them too?" I asked dejectedly.

He gave a simple nod.

I sighed before pulling my arm warmers off. I then took my training weights off before handing them over to him. I pulled my arm warmers back on before dealing with my leg warmers. I grumbled bitterly as I took the training weights off of my legs before handing them out and fixing my leg warmers. Once I stood up properly, I crossed my arms and growled, "Anything else?"

"Don't die," Kakashi-sensei instructed before motioning to the door.

"I'll try," I grumbled before entering the room. I saw that many people there, but brushed it off as I went over to the rookie genin that surrounded some grey-haired teenager. "What are we doing?"

"Were you not paying attention? We're looking at Kabuto-san's shinobi skill cards," Sakura grumbled at me before realizing it was me who asked. She looked over at me with surprise, but quickly turned her attention back to the older kid as he placed a card on the ground.

"It took me four years to collect all the intelligence needed for this exam. In all, there are almost 200 cards. They look blank, don't they? The only way you can read the data on the cards..." He placed his middle finger on the card before summoning chakra to said card.

"What's he doing?" Ino-chan muttered in confusion.

"...is by using my own personal chakra. Each set is linked to its possessor. For example, cards like this one..." Kabuto-san trailed off before the card suddenly revealed its information.

"It's some kind of combination map and bar graph, in three dimensions! What kind of intelligence is this?" Sakura asked.

"It shows how many applicants each shinobi nation is sending to this session of the chunin ninja exams," Kabuto-san answered.

Otogakure? Never heard of it. If it's a developing country, there may be problems with information, though there are only 3 genin from there. Let's see what else... 6 from Takigakure, as well as Kusagakure. 21 from Amegakure. 30 from Sunagakure, including Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. Hm... And of course, the country hosting the exam has the highest amount of applicants - 88. In total, there are 154 applicants. The success rate of this exam is somewhere around 3%. Those chances aren't looking good... I internally sighed upon figuring that all out.

"Do you also have dossier cards? Cards for each individual applicant?" Uchiha questioned.

Kabuto-san gave a little laugh. "Why? Someone here you have a particular interest in?" He picked up his graph card before hiding away all the information. "I'll admit these are far from complete, but I've burned a set of dossier cards for the current pool of applicants... Including your team. If you share any data you have on the person that interests you, I'll be happy to look him up and let you know what I have so far."

"Gaara from Sunagakure and Rock Lee from Konoha," Uchiha replied.

"You know their names? No sweat, then!" Kabuto-san replied before pulling two cards from his deck. He put them up as his black eyes barely showed from the light reflecting off of his glasses.

"Let me see them," Uchiha demanded, making me elbow him.

"Manners, Duckass. He's nice enough to share his info, so it's the least you could do," I scolded, making him scrunch up a bit.

"Please," Uchiha growled out.

Kabuto-san gave me a small nod of thanks before putting the cards down. "First up is Rock Lee." He put his chakra in the card to reveal all the info he had on my senpai. "He's a year older than you guys. Missions to date: 20 D-Ranked, 11 C-Ranked. His team's sensei is Might Gai. And his taijutsu skills have grown exponentially this past year. He has no other talents worth mentioning. He was considered a standout among last year's genin... But he didn't apply for the chunin exam. He's a first timer, like you three. His teammates are names Hyuuga Neji and Tenten."

I gave a small nod of approval before pointing at how high Lee-senpai's taijutsu skills were. "See that, Duckass? I told you he's a taijutsu expert."

Kabuto-san swiped the card away before putting the other card in its place. He focused his chakra to it and said, "Next is Suna no Gaara... Sunagakure... 8 C-Ranked missions... One B. Wow! Not many rookie shinobi get B-Ranked assignments. Since he's from way out in the desert, I have less on him... But it's interesting. He's come back from every mission completely unscathed. Without a scratch..."

"Hey, what do you have on me?" I asked cheerfully while pointing at my face.

He raised an eyebrow before pulling one more card out of his deck. "Haruno Ren from Konohagakure. You've been on 8 D-Ranked missions and 1 C-Ranked... Your taijutsu is more proficient then your teammates, as is your ningu... You... It says you have mastery over the art of seals..." The grey-haired boy looked up at me with suspicion swimming around those black eyes of his. "Your kill count is at least twenty."

I snickered a bit. "Yeah, at least. Rouge shinobi are significantly easier to kill than you'd expect. I sure had fun on that mission..."

Sakura suddenly sucked in a breath before inching away. She had realized that I didn't have my seals, and she wanted no part of that.

"Konoha, Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki, Oto... This year, every hidden village has sent outstanding genin here to compete. I don't know much about Otogakure. It's part of a new, small nation, so intelligence on it is lacking. Every other competing village is well-respected, home to some formidably powerful shinobi..." Kabuto-san commented, changing the topic of conversation.

"Anybody besides me suddenly feeling kind of outclassed?" Hinata-san asked meekly.

"What are you trying to tell us is... everyone here..." Sakura trailed off as she looked at Kabuto-san with a furrowed brow.

The teenager gave a smirk. "Oh, yeah. They're all like Lee and Gaara... Elite, hand-picked shinobi, the best young ninja in the world."

I snorted before pointing into the crowd. "Bitch, that man right there is at least thirty. I think we'll be fine."

Kabuto-san spared me a glare before continuing on like he hadn't been interrupted. "They have to be! This test is pitiless!"

"Fucking old man, right goddamn there!" I yelled at the grey-haired teenager as I waved my finger around, still pointed at the man that looked like an old loser. "Come on man! He's like the second-coming of the Eternal Genin!"

"You know, I could have sworn your information said you've been more mellow lately," Kabuto-san said as he glared harder at me.

"I woke up on the side of the bed that turns me into an unholy hellspawn this morning. I must simply fulfill my destiny. Can you not see it? I must make everyone suffer, for that is my one true purpose in life," I explained before whipping around. I got onto one knee and held Uchiha's hand between mine. "Would you do me the honors of seeing hell first?"

"...No," he answered as he pulled his hand away from me.

"Thank you for agreeing," I chirped before bouncing up. I looked over at the shaking Uzumaki-kun and pursed my lips. "1,000¥ he does something stupid."

"I'm not betting," Duckass replied as Sakura put her hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"It's alright, Naruto. Nothing to worry about," Sakura said reassuringly.

The blonde then quickly turned heel and pointed at the crowd of people in the room. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! And none of you are going to beat me! You got that?!"

"What's his problem?!" Ino-chan yelled at Sakura while pointing at the moron.

"Yeah! That felt great!" Uzumaki-kun announced as he put his hands behind his head.

"Dude, I can point out at least one hundred people that can kick your ass," I said as I looked at the moron with great disappointment.

"I'll find a way to kick their butts!" He replied.

"You're going to die a virgin at this rate," I mumbled.

"No, I'm not!" He screeched as an embarrassed blush covered his cheeks.

I grinned viciously at the boy who fell into my trap. "Yes, I suppose you're right. After all, you shared your first kiss with this guy." I motioned to Uchiha Sasuke, the legendary Duckass himself, who glared fiercely at me. "And yesterday, you said you love Kakashi-sensei. Perhaps I should take something from that?"

The horror that filled his face was so good, I would have sold my soul then and there for a camera so I could have caught that moment forever. "You- You...! How could you even say that?! You know I don't like guys! And I'd especially never like some jerk like Sasuke or some pervert like Kakashi-sensei!"

"Oh? Then perhaps a nice guy like Iruka-sensei, who you just so happened to blush about when we came back from Nami no Kuni?" I pressed as my grin somehow grew wider.

"Never!" Uzumaki-kun screamed at me, the red blush expanding to cover his entire body.

"Ren!" Sakura yelled catching my attention. She gave me a harsh glare, but the shit-eating grin I had wouldn't go away.

"Come on. I have a point, and you know it," I said as I rocked back and forth on my feet.

"You're embarrassing us!" My twin scolded while pointing at me.

"Hey, I'm not the one flirting with grown men," I objected as I put my hands on my hips.

She sassily raised a brow, making me internally pause to wonder if I had actually flirted with a grown man somewhere along the way. (As it turns out, she was thinking about how I interacted with Kakashi-sensei, even though I technically wasn't flirting with him.)

"Alright fine. I have never knowingly flirted with a grown man," I corrected while giving a small glare.

She lifted up a finger before looking at me with accusation clear in her jade eyes. "The takoyaki incident."

"We agreed to never speak of that day again!" I screeched as I clenched my chest tightly. I then turned my attention to the three ninja that had moved in the crowd while pretending to listen to whatever Sakura was saying.

The one with bandages covering the majority of his body pulled up the sleeve of his right arm, revealing some odd contraption.

The other male on the team, the one who had 'Die' written three times on his shirt, then jumped into the air and threw two kunais at Kabuto-san. In his hands were two holes that seemed to lead to tubes in his arms.

The first male quickly jumped in front of Kabuto-san while activating his jutsu. He swung his right fist at Kabuto-san while his device vibrated slightly.

Kabuto-san moved his head back before the punch could hit, only to have his glasses shatter. He seemed fine for a moment, but only a moment.

"What's going on? He dodged the blow, but something broke his glasses!" Uchiha noted aloud.

"His nose probably got grazed... Serves him right for acting all superior," Shikamaru-san commented.

Kabuto-san suddenly shuddered before throwing up on the ground.

"Aw, man! He's hurling!" Uzumaki-kun announced for everyone who didn't have eyes.

"Kabuto-san?" Sakura asked worriedly.

The three oto-nins stood next to each other while glaring down at Kabuto-san.

I gave a small whistle and a clap of my hands, gaining practically everyone's attention. "That was a neat trick, though you really shouldn't have done it in front of everyone. I mean, what kind of moron reveals everything about their team before an exam such as this one starts?!"

I gave a mocking laugh before putting my hands on my hips. "You with the bandages are clearly the team leader. The thing on your right arm is a metal device which acts as your main offense and defense tool. As a ninja from the Otogakure, you use sound as your main weapon. Though since your main tool is that contraption, you specialize in close-range ninjutsu that use vibrations. Those vibrations you used just now not only broke Kabuto-san's glasses, but also entered his eardrums and threw off his equilibrium off. That, in turn, caused him to grow physically sick in such a manner. Anyways, it's clear from that you're good at taijutsu, especially with the speed of your punch."

That guy narrowed his eyes at me, clearly not approving of my observational skills.

"Now, as for the other guy, he specializes in long-ranged ninjutsu. Those holes in his hands make for compressed sound-waves, which allow him to stay further away from opponents whole attacking. However, judging from the way his clothes fit him, it's obvious he too is proficient at taijutsu."

I then looked over at the girl. "That leaves the female as your genjutsu expert. It's clear that she doesn't fight as often as you two by her body type, making genjutsu her main weapon and defense." I chuckled once more as I placed my fingers together, but kept my palms from touching. "They say shinobi should use discretion as to not allow their opponents to get useful information against them. However, it seems like you three fools aren't very good shinobi. You've simply placed targets on your backs, especially since everyone now knows your individual assets to your team."

I gave an innocent smile as I put my hands behind my back. "You three are now dead men. I wonder who's going to try to kill you losers first. I can't wait. Hehe."

And that's when the proctors finally showed up in a dramatic puff of smoke.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

"Would everybody please just shut up?!" A guy yelled from the puff of smoke.

"No!" I yelled back, earning a kick to the back from Sakura. "Still no!"

The guy became clear, as well as the many proctors behind him. "Sorry to have kept you waiting-"

"You don't look it," I pointed out, earning an elbow to the side from Uchiha. "Not sorry."

"My name is Morino Ibiki. I'm the proctor and chief examiner for the first part of the exam," the man with two scars on his face said.

"Aren't you the head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force - the Sadist Morino Ibiki?!" I questioned loudly, my hand high in the air.

The man gave a dark chuckle. "At least one of you has heard of me."

I bit my lower lip before turning to Sakura. "Forgive me, for I am about to sin."

"This will turn out the same way it did eight years ago, Ren," she replied mercilessly.

Morino-san suddenly pointed towards the three oto nins. "You... The kids from Otogakure! You can't carry on any way you please when the exam's about to start! ...Or do you want to be disqualified?"

"Sorry, sir... It's our first exam, and we got a little carried away," the leader of the team said.

"Is that so?" Morino-san asked before straightening up, even if it was only by a miniscule amount. "Then it's high time someone laid down a few ground rules. From this point forward, there will be no more fighting without the expressed permission of the examining officers, and even if that permission is granted, anything that endangers another applicant's life is strictly forbidden. Any of you little piglets who break that rule are out. Disqualified. No second chances. Got that?"

I shivered while biting my lower lip. I held my cheeks as a blush spread across my cheeks. Ah, that glare is the thing of my wildest dreams. The mere thought of being tortured while that face glares down at me... Ah, I can barely take it.

"So this is a test for little girly men?" The oto nin with the spikey black hair questioned with a smug smirk.

As the proctors sneered at the boy, I looked over at him in disgust. "Man, are you fucking retarded, or what? I seriously can't tell if you already don't understand the point of this first test. You're pretty fucking pathetic if that's the case."

He glared over at me, clearly trying to intimidate me. "And you know?"

I gave a deep sigh as I brought my palm up to my face. "Let's just get this over with..."

"As you wish. The first part of the selection exam is about to commence. Turn in your written application, take one of these seating assignment cards, and report directly to the seat indicated." Morino-san held up a small, square card with the number 1 on it for emphasis on his words. "When everyone's seated, we'll pass out the written part of the test."

Kotetsu-san waved around the stack of papers he held, a smirk clear on his face.

"Hunh?" Uzumaki-kun asked before suddenly screeching, "A- a paper test?!"

"No, not a paper test! Anything but a paper test!" I yelled dramatically before swatting the blonde's head. "Yes, a fucking paper test. You have to hold a certain level of knowledge the higher your shinobi rank is. They're testing that knowledge with this test, moron."

Uzumaki-kun gave a pout as he held his head. "No one said anything about this before though."

"Consider it a pop quiz. I'm willing to bet you're going to pass," I stated, making him give a sigh of relief.

"What about me?" Sakura asked as she leaned in close.

"All of the rookies are going to pass, as well as 23 more teams," I whispered, making her nod while gulping slightly.

"Are you sure?" She questioned nervously.

"I'd bet on it," I replied softly, earning a nod. I then joined the many other people that had lined up to hand in their applications. Once I did, I got a number and ended up separated from the people that I knew. I was seated at the edge of a row with the proctors pretty much lined up against the wall - the closest one within kicking distance. As I stared blankly at the ceiling, I wondered to myself if I should just blurt out the meaning of the test or not.

It was fairly obvious if one thought about it. A paper test? Really? And one that proctored by Morino Ibiki at that? If that doesn't spell out mental pressure, I'm not sure what would. Not only that, but the number of "genin" in the room was 156, two more than there was supposed to be. That meant there were 52 teams despite earlier numbers suggesting that there were only 51 teams, and the single individual taking the test alone - me.

Now, back to the point about Morino-san, he was a known sadistic. Surely mentally torturing someone was going to be the game he was going to play, but to a much lesser degree since he was testing genin who may qualify as Chunin. He most likely had two extra people of higher ranks slip in, seeing as how they were trusted to "take" the test. Morino-san most likely made the test difficult, and had those two there as a way for everyone to get answers. AKA the test was going to be designed to make you cheat.

Of course, that's not factoring in those who have a surprisingly high intelligence for their rank. Those that were smart enough to pass on their own surely wouldn't be unaccounted for though. That meant there was going to be an extra risk, something that would force those smarter ones to break and resort to some form of cheating themselves. It probably had to do with teamwork, especially since teams of three had to take the exam. A test of knowledge split up between three people in which all members needed to be on top of their game was the game being played.

And that left me as the one that was unrestrained. The proctor probably knew of my circumstances, but he was playing dumb for the sake of making the test run smoother.

I gave a deep sigh before looking around at the proctors. I easily spotted Izumo-san and Kotetsu-san, as well as a few other shinobi that I knew. And then my eyes landed on the one that failed to give off a normal amount of chakra. I stared at the proctor, trying to recall his face, or the symbols on his face, from around town.

He eventually noticed my staring and turned towards me.

Somewhat smooth movements, but there's a bit of twitching. It's not fluid - not completely human... Hm... There are very small cracks, but they're only really visible if you're looking for them. Sand, it appears. Let's see... Height, shadows, weight, depth... A puppet, no doubt about that, and it's covered in sand. Probably a combination between Gaara and Kankuro, especially since no one else seemed like they were carrying puppets around. I narrowed my eyes slightly at the person who had tried glaring back at me with his lifeless eyes. Definitely not someone from Konoha.

The person next to the fake proctor kicked her leg out a bit, gaining my attention.

I looked over at her and watched as she shook her eyes a bit at me, signalling for me not to look into it any further. I turned my attention back towards Morino-san and began to mess around with my eraser in boredom. How long does it take to pass a few papers out? I can't believe that it'd take this long. I mean, come on.

Finally, Morino-san straightened up, picked up a piece of chalk, and said, "Papers face down until I give the signal. Now listen up. There are a few big rules that pertain to this first test. I'll write them on the blackboard-" He tapped the blackboard with his chalk to emphasize the point. "-and explain them all, but I'm not taking questions, so listen carefully. I will say this only once."

"Rules?" Sakura mumbled from across the room.

Morino-san turned around to face the board before writing. "Rule number one! Each one of you starts out here with ten points. The test has ten questions, each worth one point. For each question you get wrong, we subtract a point from you. Get all ten right, and you retain the ten points you have. But if, for example, you answer three questions incorrectly, we take your ten points... subtract one point for each wrong answer... and your total drops down to seven."

In other words, if you get all ten questions wrong, you're down to zero, a failing score, I noted as I leaned back in my seat.

"Rule number two... This written test is still a team event. Passing or failing will be determined by the sum of the points held by all three members of each team," Morino-san said as he wrote that down on the board.

Lie. That rule wouldn't be approved by Hokage-sama and the Council of Elders, especially not if they wanted me to take the test all by my lonesome. You're bluffing in order to create tension, I thought as I continued on staring blankly.

"The objective is for each team to have as few deductions as possible from its joint thirty-point total," Morino-san stated.

Sakura slammed her head down on her desk before suddenly shooting up with her arm raised high in the air. "W-wait a second! The whole concept of the starting points and the deductions is hard enough to follow... But what is this "team total" you're talking about?!"

"Did you not hear the part about "no questions"? We have our reasons. Shut up and listen. You might learn something," Morino-san growled before calming himself down. "This next bit is crucial. Rule number three: if, during the course of the exam, a candidate does anything out of the ordinary... In other words, anything that leads the proctors to determine that he or she has cheated... We subtract two points from each member of the cheater's team."

I smirked as I found out his tactic for weeding out those hopeless cases. You intend on pressuring people into cheating and cheating good. Gathering information while undercover is something chûnins have to do, especially if they plan on becoming jônin that must go undercover. Now with the test set up this way, should everyone cheat obviously, or if one person cheats badly, the entire team will go down in flames.

Basically, everyone must have a certain level of skill to pass, and that's where individual skills come into play. You could use the individual skills of a team member, and have said team member pass around that information. That'd be the best way to do it. If you leave one teammate hanging, they're bound to resort to cheating that'd be very sloppy. So if you don't make plans ahead of time to secure good teamwork, and you don't work separately from your group with your own skill set, you're failing.

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Exactly! In all probability, some of you run through your entire allowance during the test. If so, you'll be failed and asked to leave," Morino-san said.

"I'll be looking over your shoulders when you least expect it," Kotetsu-san commented with a smirk despite the fact he couldn't possibly look over my shoulder from the angle I was at and still see my paper.

"If you let the proctors catch you cheating, you'll bring yourself and your friends down!" Morino-san announced.

I chuckled softly. If you let them catch you. This most definitely is a test that involves cheating. My speculations were right.

"If you aspire to become chûnin... If you want to be the best shinobi you can be... Then you'd better start acting like you already are!" He declared. "One more thing... If an individual loses all ten of his or her points that person's entire team, regardless of how the other two members do... will be disqualified!"

So this is where teamwork comes in. I can see so many failures already, I thought.

"You one hour... Starting... Now!" He yelled.

I flipped my paper over and wrote my name on it. I then read the first question. "Question No. 1 Decode the following cipher and summarize its meaning." I blinked before snickering, Basic cryptography, huh? Okay, let's just fine the code word, and we'll be golden. I soon found the repeating kanji and used it to help me decipher the paragraph. I then summarized said paragraph and moved on to the next question.

"Question No. 2 The parabola marked B represents the greatest effective distance the enemy shinobi, A, could throw a shuriken star from the top of a 7.1-meter-tall tree. Calculate the specific features of the scenario and deduce the range of the shuriken's effectiveness, assuming a constant speed for shinobi A's assult upon any enemy within the arc that the flight of the shuriken describes. Show your work." I internally sighed before thanking you gods that there was a graph to help me along. Well, the standard equation for a parabola is (x - h)2 = 4p(y - k), so I'll simply start there...

The guy next to me released a soft groan as he looked down at his paper. He was clearly not happy with being tested on such questions.

I ignored his annoying noises and worked through that problem quickly. I had just solves the seventh question when someone from Suna stood up.

"You know... The one thing I keep wondering... is how many of the top-ranking exams they intend to pass," they said.

Morino-san chuckled before answering with a slightly annoyed expression, "Knowing that now isn't going to help you, is it? Unless you're hoping to fail."

"I-I'm sorry..." They apologized as they sat down to resume their test.

I rolled my eyes before finishing off my test. I flipped the test over and stared at the back blankly. I was then hit with a massive wave of boredom and decided that I'd start recreating my seals into a single, better functioning seal. I hummed softly to myself as I began to draw a rough sketch of the seal I'd use from then on.

Of course, I fucked up majorly within the first minute, causing me to move onto a different spot on the page.

Suddenly, Kotetsu-san stood up and threw a kunai at some boy's page.

"Wh-what was that for?!" The boy yelled.

"That's five strikes... And you're out!" Kotetsu-san replied while giving a small smirk.

"N... No way!" The boy gasped.

"Take your teammates with you. Out of this classroom. Now," the chunin demanded.

As the boy begrudgingly left, his teammates followed along. "Damn!"

"You're done here. Move on!" Kotetsu-san yelled at the group that was leaving rather slowly. He then took his seat back against the wall and continued on with proctoring.

Once the half-way mark came, people began to drop out like flies. Some put up fights, some didn't. Either way, their noise caused me several problems when it came to making my seal.

I growled as I filled up the page with failures, the only blank space being a tiny square in the bottom right hand corner. I sighed with annoyance before taking a deep breath. I calmed myself down before starting once again. As I carefully detailed the seal, I made sure to incorporate a few symbols to correct the problems my previous seals caused me. I soon began to develop something that caused me to grin widely.

"Grr... This question is impossible," the boy next to me growled softly as he furiously tapped his foot against the ground with nerves.

Oh my fucking kami-sama. They're all supposed to be hard. Why not work with your fucking team? I thought as I finished making my seal. I sat back to enjoy my work before being immediately sacked with boredom.

There were still ten minutes left before they'd give out the tenth questioned.

So, I stood up with my hand raised. "Since I'm done, can I read a book?"

Morino-san looked over at me like I was some kind of moron. "No."

"What if it's a book about sensory-type ninjutsu?" I questioned.

"No," he replied.

"What if it's a book about Senju Tobirama-sama?" I pressed.

"No," he answered, annoyance clear in his voice. "Why not draw on the back of your test or something then?"

"Why do you think I'm asking?!" I exclaimed as I threw my hands into the air. "Not only have I finished my test, but I've also developed a new seal through trial and error on the back of my paper! I need something else to do!"

"You're not reading a book, so sit down and shut up!" Morino-san demanded.

I huffed before sitting down. I crossed my arms and pouted a few seconds before asking, "Can I play solitaire?"

"You lose five points for every member of your team," he snapped.

"Good thing I'm taking the test alone. My one teammate is a fucking moron, so that'd definitely have failed me," I commented with a bunch of sarcasm.

"Are you stupid?" Morino-san asked as he glared at me.

I stood up and put my hands on my hips. "As a matter of fact, no. Not only am I positive that I've solved every question on this test right, but I'm sure I understand the hidden meaning within the hidden meaning regarding this test. Also, are you seriously allowing that?" I shoved my thumb over my shoulder to briefly point at the one proctor that wasn't from Konoha.

"Sit down before I fail you," the sadist snapped.

I sat down before another question came to mind. "Hey, do you think Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san are dating? I'm currently in charge of the bets while Raidō-san is on a mission."

"For the last time, we're not dating!" Kotetsu-san yelled at me from across the room.

"Everyone knows your two are! Just come out of the damn closet already!" I yelled back at him.

"We're just best friends!" Kotetsu-san spat out.

I narrowed my eyes. "Best friends don't su-"

"We never did that!" Izumo-san screeched as his face exploded a bright red color.

"And we're not even gay!" Kotetsu-san objected.

"If there was a 100,000,000¥ being betted on, and the Legendary Sucker just so happened to bet, even she'd get the fucking money because your gayness is so obvious! And besides, you guys are all over each other more than Kurenai-san and Asuma-san, and everyone knows they're going to get married one day and have a kid!" I yelled as I looked between the two before sparing a glance at Morino-san, who was just so done with my shit, he just ignored my presence while writing something down on a piece of paper.

Izumo-san sucked in a high-pitched breath while holding his chest. He looked like I had just offended his great-grandmother.

"You fail!" Kotetsu-san yelled before pointing at the door. "Get out!"

"Hah! You can't fail me! Not only have I not cheated, but I'm damn sure I've got every answer right on this! I'm only five points down, not ten! And I don't even have a team you can play into this! I beat you, bitch!" I yelled even though I had already announced most of those facts earlier.

"You're talking during the test! You fail!" Kotetsu-san replied, thinking he'd caught me.

"The sadist never said anything about no talking," I pointed out while giving a smug smirk. "I just can't get my questions wrong or cheat."

"Excuse me!" Kankuro interjected as he stood up with his hand in the air.

"What is it?" A proctor asked.

"I've got to go to the bathroom..." He replied, obviously lying. He hadn't shown any discomfort that was typically associated with going to the bathroom, and common sense really should have told him to empty his bladder before the test started. He was up to something.

The fake proctor handcuffed his hands and said, "Of course. One of the proctors will accompany you."

"Why not?" Kankuro replied before being lead away to a bathroom.

I silently watched him leave before just sitting down. I had wasted five minutes of my time, so I content with just staring into Morino-san's soul. I watched as he simply kept his gaze on the clock, not even sparing me a glance.

Eventually, the forty-five minutes mark came, and he looked at the remaining applicants with utmost seriousness. "All right! Here it comes. Get ready for the tenth question!"

Finally! I thought as I straightened up.

"And before we get to the question itself, I'm adding one more new rule," Morino-san stated.

Kankuro returned then and there with the false proctor.

"Heh... Looks like you're in luck. The time you've spent playing with dolls hasn't been completely wasted," Morino-san said before watching as Kankuro displayed a slightly unnerved expression.

So he did notice. He's just allowing it to happen, I thought before frowning slightly. Seems like a bad move.

"Don't worry about it. Sit down," Morino-san directed.

Kankuro was released from his handcuffs and walked towards his seat. As he passed by Temari, he gave something to her as sneakily as he could.

"Let me explain," Morino-san said as he moved to the middle of the front of the class. "This rule... is absolute. First... You must choose... whether to accept or reject this tenth question!"

"Ch-choose? What happens if someone doesn't accept the question?!" Temari asked.

"If you reject the question and don't even try to answer it, you'll lose all your points immediately and fail! And both of your teammates will fail right along with you," the jônin answered.

"Say what?!" Someone yelled.

"Then why would anyone choose to reject it?" Someone else questioned.

"Because of the other rule," Morino-san replied before glaring down at us. "If you try to answer the question, and get it wrong, you will never be permitted to apply for the chûnin selection exams again. Not ever."

And so, the hidden meaning of the hidden meaning is fully revealed to me. Those who are selfish don't deserve to be shinobi, or at least not in your eyes. If they can only play it safe, why should they bring others down with them? Unfortunately, their teams would go down with them in this case. It's just like a real mission. If someone slips up, everyone goes down in flames. I gave a small sigh as I crossed my arms and folded my left leg over my right.

"You can't be serious. That's ridiculous! There are ninja here who've sat for the chunin exams more than once already! We know there are!" Kiba yelled as he pointed at Morino-san, Akamaru barking in agreement.

The main proctor gave a laugh. "Just your rotten luck. I wasn't making the rules in past years. I am now. I've been up front with you. You can take a failing grade now, and try again later. Anyone who has doubts would be smart to reject the tenth question right now. Come back and reapply next year, and the year after that."

Ah, so a no-win situation. Nice, I mused as I closed my eyes and sat back in my seat.

"Ready? Then let's begin. Those who choose not to accept should raise their hands," the sadist instructed, "Once their number has been confirmed, they will leave the room."

After a few moments of silence, the man sitting to Uzumaki-kun's left raised his hand while standing up. "I-I... I quit! I'm rejecting the question! Genna! Inaho! Please forgive me!"

"Number 50! Failed! Number 130! Number 111! You fail right along with him," a proctor declared.

"M-me too!" Someone else exclaimed as they stood up.

Many people began to drop out until Uzumaki-kun raised his hand shakily.

Little dickhead's about to do something stupid, I thought as I grinned.

Uzumaki-kun slammed his hand into the desk and yelled, "Never underestimate me! I don't quit, and I won't run away! I'll accept your stupid question! Even if I risk ending up a rookie for the rest of my life, I'll still become Hokage, even if I can only make it by pure stubbornness. I don't care! I'm not afraid of you!"

I chuckled as everyone's doubts were dispelled. He's the comedy ninja - the maverick show-stopper. He's the number one knucklehead ninja... Uzumaki Naruto is definitely stubborn, a boy who will earn his respect through his constant persistence alone.

"I'll ask you one last time. This is a decision that could affect the rest of your life. Quit now, while you still have the chance," Morino-san demanded.

"I never go back on my word. That's... my nindo!" Uzumaki-kun declared.

Morino-san looked around the classroom before looking to his proctors for reassurance. Once he got that, he grinned. "Good call. So, everyone who is still here... You've just passed the first exam!"

I grabbed my eraser before turning around in my seat. I threw it at the tallest ninja from Otogakure with a smirk. "Understand the test yet, you fruitcake? Oh, wait. I'm sorry. That was offensive to all fruitcakes." I gave a laugh as I looked at the boy with a rather condescending expression.

"You act like knew it from the beginning, and your actions throughout the test also displayed that. How exactly did you piece everything together?" Morino-san questioned as he looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes.

I stood up as I faced him. I straightened myself and put my hands behind my back. "For starters, the numbers of the people in the room failed to match up. I'm taking the test by myself, as an exception decided on by the leaders of Konoha. Therefore, there should have only been 154 people in the crowd. There happened to be two extra, chûnins to be precise, but I shall come back to that later.

"You, the head proctor of this exam, are Morino Ibiki, the head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force, as I stated earlier. You are known for torture and breaking people's minds down like they're nothing but twigs. Of course, this is only a chûnin selection exam, so you're forced to back off a bit. However, you're still allowed to pressure people any ways you choose, something you used to your advantage by splitting up group members and adding extra proctors to look over the examinees' shoulders at all times.

"Now then, I shall explain the upfront meaning of this test. It is meant to appear as a test of knowledge, however these are questions only chunins or higher are expected to know. Besides the few geniuses in the room, you'd need to add in two chûnins just to make sure there are people that the hidden meaning can be used for. Those two chunins are there-" I pointed towards one before pointing to the other before straightening up again. "-and there respectively.

"The hidden meaning - to test one's spying abilities, whether alone or as a team. The test is set up around the fact that the majority of the people in this room would have to cheat in order to keep their points. If they were sloppy cheaters, then they'd be disqualified and take their team down with them, just as you would during an infiltration mission. A select few in this room knew their teammates were sloppy cheaters, so they worked together to pass around answers. For example, using the mirror on the ceiling." I pointed up to the mirror still on the ceiling as put there by Tenten-san earlier. I then pointed over to the fake proctor. "Or perhaps something a bit more obvious like the fake puppet proctor, which I still don't know why the hell you'd allow something like that. It's so obvious, you should have failed that team on the spot."

"What do you mean?" Someone asked as they looked in confusion.

I sighed as I facepalmed. "You're not from the village, so you wouldn't know, but-" I shunshined over to the puppet and sat on its shoulders as I poked at its face. "These markings aren't from any clans that reside here in Konoha. Besides that, looks at these cracks on his face. This sand was a good disguise, but no jônin would actually miss something like this. Besides, their weight on the chair isn't normal, and the way they have slightly robotic movements. Ventriloquism or not, I'm not going to miss those blocky movements."

"Get off..." The fake proctor mumbled as their sand began cracking under my weight.

I did so and went back to my seat where I stood properly again. "Now, the hidden meaning within the hidden meaning... It really became obvious during the tenth question, or rather the rules for the tenth question. Individually, everyone had to decide if they'd be qualified to answer the question. Those who only thought about themselves instead of their team failed, and thus forced their entire team to pay for their selfishness.

"In any case, a true shinobi, as decreed by the many shinobi rules we have, should never think merely about themselves, but rather about the good it'd do for the village you come from. One cannot be a coward when their village may depend on it. They have no right to be shinobi. Even in the face of great peril, even if it may cost you something dear, the greater picture is always more important. Saving your neck and allowing others to pay for such decisions is unacceptable... Or at least, in your eyes. Am I right?" I gave a small smirk as I narrowed my eyes at the man, daring him to tell me I was wrong.

"That's why you were so fearless when it came to threats about your failing. You didn't have anyone to take down with you, and you knew about some loophole since you are all on your lonesome. With nothing to lose, you felt free to mock us out. It was quite bold," he praised as he grinned back.

"Oh, I wasn't mocking you out. I was directing it at Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san, especially since they pissed me off earlier." I grit my teeth before making a stupid face. I waved my hands around as I said, "Oh, we're just having fun with this years applicants because we're proctors. Look at me. I'm an asshole."

"Hey, we didn't do anything against the rules," Kotetsu-san growled at me.

I glared over at him with the fire of the gods in my eyes. "Hah? You didn't do anything wrong? You laid your hands on and mocked out someone I look up to. That's a big no-no."

"Yandere much?" The man mumbled, making me growl before looking back at Morino-san.

"Anyway, you made it totally obvious to a sociopath like me," I said as I put my my hands on my hips.

"Ah, I can see where something like that would fall down when it came to your mindset. A liar is very good at seeing through others' lies, especially after lying for a living," he mused before chuckling darkly. "You'd sure be a hard nut to crack under torture."

"It's made harder by the fact I'm totally a hardcore masochist. Hit me, burn me, cut me as you like. I'll only get pleasure." I chuckled as I gave him a flirtatious wink.

"You know you don't have a chance!" Sakura yelled at me, earning an annoyed look from me. "He's a grown man, Ren."

"I can go after whatever sadist I like!" I yelled back as a small blush covered my cheeks.

"It's called teleiophilia," she said while narrowing her eyes at me.

"And it's not a crime, so suck it." I gave a dark laugh at her annoyed expression.

"I'm not interested in you in the slightest," Morino-san said while facepalming.

"Damn," I cursed before pouting at my loss of a good sadist. Maybe I can find a masochist I can be a total sadist towards. Hm. I wonder if there are any masochist in the village besides me. Ah, but maybe I can find myself a sadist of a different kind. A narcissistic person would wear on me mentally... Nah. I like physical pain much better. Ah, but of I get myself a strong man that wouldn't be afraid to punch me around, I'd be in heaven. I gave a small chuckle as I held my cheeks, a blush covering my face at the thought.

My thoughts ran rapid at those thoughts until someone - that spikey-haired otonin - threw an eraser at my head.

I snapped out of my thoughts as my hand moved back to catch the eraser the aimed at the back of my head. I put it down on my desk and was going to continue daydreaming. I got cut off by a presence outside of the window. I looked at the purple-haired woman in confusion as she rolled up most her body in a black cloth. "Uh... Who the fuck is that?"

Morino-san looked over towards the window with great annoyance.

Said window broke as the woman cane crashing in. She threw two kunais, getting the banner to stick up properly to the ceiling. As she straightened up, her banner became readable.

NEWLY ARRIVED

SECOND CHIEF

EXAMINATION OFFICER

MITARASHI ANKO

"None of you are in any position to celebrate. I am the second chief examination officer, Mitarashi Anko! Time's a-wastin', people. Let's go! Follow me!" She shoved her right fist into the air.

"Fuck yeah!" I agreed as I bounced up to my feet, both of my fists high in the air. "Let's go!"

"I like your spirit!" Mitarashi-san yelled as she pointed at me before Morino-san pulled the banner back to reveal his annoyed expression.

"Can't you sense the mood in here?" He asked, referring to the fact everyone was still processing what I had said earlier.

"This new officer almost reminds me... of Naruto..." Sakura mumbled.

The woman in question glanced everyone over before looking to Morino-san. "Seventy-nine if you are still here?! Ibiki! You passed twenty-six teams?!"

"Technically twenty-seven. I'm taking the exam alone," I interjected, only to get ignored.

"Obviously you went too easy on them," Mitarashi-san commented while glaring at the man.

He replied with a smile, "This year, we have applicants of exceptional caliber."

"Yeah, right. I'll cut the number down by half before the next test is done." She gave a dark smirk as she looked down at us, her body shivering slightly. "Ooh! I get charged up just thinking about it! I'll explain things in detail as soon as we move to our next location... So follow me!"

"Hell yes!" I agreed as I jumped up and got ready to go.

~

"You, Hatake Kakashi," Morino Ibiki called out as he approached the jônin who had been walking along with two other jônins - Sarutobi Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai respectively.

"Yes?" Kakashi replied as he turned towards the well-known sadist jônin.

"You're the jônin in charge of Haruno Ren, correct?" Ibiki pressed.

"I told them it wasn't a good idea," Kakashi mumbled under his breath before giving a small sigh. "What did he do this time?"

Ibiki pulled up the test Ren took before flipping it over to show the back. "You know what this is, don't you?"

"He...! He drew such a complicated seal?!" Kurenai asked in surprise as she looked over Kakashi's shoulder.

"Designed it," Kakashi corrected as he took the paper. He pulled up his hitai-ate before looking down at the seal with his special eye. "Hm... That symbol with this one... Next to this kanji... And then surrounded by this... Ah, I see." He pulled his headband down before handing the paper back to the scarred man. "It's a seal specially designed to keep something inside of him sealed."

"A seal for himself? Why?" Asuma questioned with a furrowed brow.

"The fool believes it will make his sister happy," Kakashi grumbled as his shoulders sagged a bit, his hands going into his pockets. "He typically has something sealed away, his sadism. Lately, he's also been trying to seal away his masochism and sarcasm. He's slowly becoming emotionless, just like..." Kakashi trailed off, looked around carefully, before lowering his voice and muttering, "Itachi."

The other three flinched slightly at the name of the Uchiha who had single-handedly massacred his entire clan.

"I pressed him on it a week ago, but he shut me down at every alley I took. I didn't want him to take this test, especially not with his current mindset. In order to combat that, the Council of Elders decided to have him give up his seals, and Hokage-sama agreed. If he did what I image he did, this is not going to turn out well. He may be strong and cunning, but it's exactly that which will get him into trouble." Kakashi gave a deep sigh before looking to Ibiki. "Who's the second proctor?"

"Anko," Ibiki replied, earning a look of worry from the copy-cat ninja.

"This is going to end up bad. I can already tell..." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head before looking to the test. "He got them all right though, correct?"

"Not a single flaw. He's definitely a genius, but that makes me wonder why he isn't already a chûnin, maybe even a jônin if his skills can match his brain," Ibiki replied as he showed the carefully detailed work on the front of the paper.

"He has an obsession with keeping his little twin sister happy and healthy. It's like an extremely platonic sister complex." Kakashi shook his head at having to actually say those words out loud. "In any case, he's bound to do something stupid during the next part of the exam..."

"By the way, did you know your student is currently in charge of a betting pot?" Ibiki questioned.

"Please tell me you're lying..." Kakashi muttered as he looked at the older man pleadingly.

The TI Force leader gave a small smirk. "Apparently he's holding the betting pot for Raidō while he's away on a mission. The kid had the gaul to ask me if I wanted to add my money to it during the middle of the exam."

"Namiashi Raidō..." Kakashi growled as he glared into distance. He then straightened up and asked, "What betting pot is he in charge of again?"

"Kotetsu and Izumo's gay relationship," Kurenai answered, earning odd looks. She gave a small shrug before saying, "It's totally obvious."

"I knew he was a gambler, but I didn't think he'd be that far into it," Kakashi mumbled as he was defeated a bit in the inside.

"It can't be that bad," Asuma said as he patted his friend's shoulder.

"He made a bet with Tsunade-sama..." Kakashi sighed deeply. "She owes him an arm, a leg, her necklace, her first born child, and exactly 112,685¥."

"You're lying," Kurenai replied as she looked at the man with surprise.

"I'm serious. He's the exact opposite of her. He's a gambler that could one day swindle the entire world into a disaster," Kakashi commented before looking back at the woman. "I've found that the bets he makes always turn out in his favor. One time, he bet on an S-Rank criminal getting away, and he did through the help of someone else. He bet on an event coming, and that event came just as he predicted. He has an ungodly ability to predict things that will come, and then will use it to his advantage by betting on them. I lost 1,000¥ to him already. It's made even worse by the fact he'll add interest based on what your income should be around."

"Interest rates? A child shouldn't know about that," Asuma muttered as he rubbed his chin.

"He's such a delinquent, it's not even funny. He's even broken into ANBU-Rank records before and gotten away with it by acting like a stupid child," Kakashi explained, earning a surprised noise from Ibiki.

"He's that manipulative, and I've never heard of him before?" The scarred jônin asked in surprise.

"Ren's brain is to be feared..." Kakashi finally admitted before looking towards the Hokage monument. I hope you were right about this, Hokage-sama...


	17. Chapter Seventeen

I pulled my book out of my back pouch and deadpanned. I took my book on seals instead of sensory. Oh well. Maybe I'll finally find the key to making chakra seals. I don't have my ink with me, so I can't exactly make physical seals if I need to.

The group kept walking at their fast pace, soon leaving me as a straggler in the back. No one really paid me any mind as I walked along, book in hand.

I did, finally, find the key I needed and began to practice making a seal with my chakra. I stared down at my book as I did so, not at all paying attention to what was around me.

That was, until someone fell into step with me, their presence dangerous as they walked next to me.

"Staring is rude," I pointed out as I kept the majority of my focus directed towards my latest work in progress.

"I haven't seen someone as skilled as you in a long time," the... girl(?) (Cut me some slack, they were giving off very mixed signals) replied.

"Hn," I said in a very Uchiha-esk fashion. I tried focusing on my chakra, only for their staring to freak me out. I hissed slightly when my seal reacted badly with my body. I shook my hand to alleviate the burning feeling before looking at the person with a Kusagakure hitai-ate on. "Do you... need something?"

"What's your name?" The person asked.

"Etiquette required one to give their own name before asking the name of another," I stated, not actually wanting to give my name out to the weirdo.

"Call me Shiore. And you?" They asked.

Definitely a guy, not a chick, I thought before forcing a smile onto my lips. "The name's Ren."

"What about your clan name?" He pressed.

"What about yours?" I questioned.

We stared each other down for a minute.

"I don't have a clan," he finally said.

"Neither do I," I lied smoothly before going back to my book. I carefully scanned a few pages to make sure I had my information right. I then tried once again with making a chakra seal.

"You're lying to me," Shiore stated, amusement clear in his voice.

Ah, another sociopath. Just my luck, I thought before giving a small sigh. I waved him off before concentrating on properly getting my chakra to form the needed seal.

"Are you an Uzumaki? They have good control of seals. Ah, but you don't have to trademark red hair," he mumbled to himself.

Uzumaki? My Uzumaki-kun sucks at practically everything. I doubt he could make a seal to save his life. Besides, he doesn't have red hair either. Perhaps there are two Uzumaki Clans? No, the Uzumakis are all from Uzushiogakure, and they were then scattered around the globe after the destruction of their village. I paused for a moment before remembering that it wasn't my top priority. I waved those thoughts off and instead focused all of my mind towards perfecting the seal that I was going to use in case I ever lost my physical seals.

"Your chakra reserves seem average, yet you're pulling that off very well. Do you know how to suppress your chakra at such a young age?" He questioned.

I ignored his question and took in a deep breath. I closed my eyes for a moment and envisioned my chakra mixing together. I then imagined the seal that I had already developed for my chakra. I carefully forced my chakra into that design before opening my eyes. I stared down at my hand which didn't seem any different. I gave a small hum as I felt my chakra ready for use. I touched the ground and walked next to Shiore for a few seconds before making a familiar hand sign. I was teleported back to the spot I touched.

"There's no way a boy your age could perform the hiraishin jutsu," the guy said with a small gasp.

"...Hah! And she said I couldn't do it!" I gave a victorious laugh at the thought of my sister being wrong. I then quickly rushed past Shiore and through the crowd. "Excuse me! Pardon me! Excuse me! Please let me through! Oh, hey Lee-senpai." I reached my fist over to him, and he happily gave me a fist-pound. "Thanks man." I then continued on, slowly getting closer to my sister. "Pardon me! Please move! I said move, Puppet Bitch!" I screeched as I shoved Kankuro out of my way. "Move your fucking face, Duckass!" I pushed Uchiha out of my way and then smiled at my sister. "Guess what I just did!"

"What?" Sakura asked with an annoyed expression.

"No, you have to guess," I said as I motioned for her to give me a random answer.

"You stayed quiet for a minute?" She suggested with a raised brow.

"Besides that," I muttered.

"Just tell me," she demanded.

"I can now do the hiraishin jutsu without a physical seal. It's all chakra seals from now on! And you said I couldn't do it! One day, I shall be as good as Tobirama-sama!" I gave a laugh at that thought only to have Sakura snort.

"Can you do it without making any hand sign?" My younger twin questioned.

I paused once I realized she had a point. "I'm getting there... It just takes time..."

"There's no way a kid like you could have it down at your age," Mitarashi-san accused as she pointed at my face.

I gave on offended gasp before quickly teleporting to my previously marked space. I then teleported to the Duckass and put my hands on my hips. "Try me, Mitarashi-san."

She glared down at me for a moment before giving a smirk. "The name's Anko, brat."

"So Anko, are we going where I think we're going?" I asked as I began to get the spring back into my step.

"Hah! Probably not. I doubt a kid your age has been here," Anko replied as her grin widened.

"If we're going where I think we are, then our destination will be the 44th training ground," I said as I gauged her reaction.

She gave me an impressed look.

"Please, please for the love of kami-sama, tell me we're going to that place," I pleaded, ready to get down on my knees if I had to.

"Oh, we're going there," she replied, sharing my enthusiasm.

"Fuck yes!" I yelled as I threw my fist into the air. "The last time I was there, I got the coolest scar on my back!"

"You're sure an excitable brat, huh?" Anko asked.

"Unless you're going to hurt those I hold dear," I chirped as I began to skip along. I then paused and looked back at the Uchiha. "And I'll never get excited over anything regarding the Duckass there."

Sakura swung her fist at me and hit my back.

I smiled in delight at the punishment. "Ah, the wonders of being beaten."

"You're kinda twisted," the purplenette noted as she looked down at me with a raised brow.

"Thank you," I said with a devious grin.

"It wasn't a compliment," Sakura told me as if I had no idea and didn't just give a sarcastic reply.

"Hey, are you not going to be weird anymore?" Uzumaki-kun asked, making me look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked

"You kept acting weird since we got back from Nami no Kuni. Are you going to be normal again?" The blonde questioned.

I poked his forehead and replied with a small smirk, "Perhaps."

"What's with you and poking my forehead?" The boy muttered as he rubbed his headband clean of any fingerprints I had left.

"It's a bad habit I picked up along to way - one that I use at very certain times, just as he had with me many years back," I answered with a small, forced smile.

"Who is he?" Uzumaki-kun inquired.

I poked his forehead and replied, "Another time, perhaps."

He pouted as he rubbed the metal clean once again.

Soon, I'll be back to that sealed self again. It'll be over soon, and then you'll discover the new me, the better one. I smiled softly at the thought of making Sakura happy with my bad traits sealed away.

"Ah, there it is," Anko said to herself, catching my attention.

I looked at her before glancing towards the direction her gaze was directed at. I spotted the 44th training ground in the distance and gave a grin. "Well, well, well... It seems to have gotten even worse since the last time I laid eyes on it."

The group soon stopped in front of the main entrance of the training ground. Nearby, three proctors sat under a shelter and watched on.

Anko quickly turned to us and said, "This is the arena for the second exam: Training Ground 44. Also known as... The Forest of Death!"

"It looks like a pretty creepy place," Sakura noted as she looked at it with her hands clenched together in front of her chest.

Anko chuckled. "You're about to find out firsthand why they call it the "Forest of Death"!"

Uzumaki-kun wasn't having any of that. He stuck his butt out before putting his fists on his hips. "Ooo, you're about to find out firsthand why they call this the "Forest of Death"!" He mocked before standing up and pointing at her. "Like that's really going to scare us! You're trying to psych us out, and I'm not gonna fall for it!"

"Bro, that really is the Forest of Death. You could seriously die in there from all the wildlife. Not to mention the poisonous plants and rugged terrain. Like, dude, there are literal tigers in there, and the landscape ranges from forest to field to hills with steep rocks. I dick you not," I said seriously as I kept my hand clasped on his shoulder.

"Yeah, right!" He yelled, sealing his fate.

Anko gave a smile that clearly said she was about to kick Uzumaki-kun's ass. "Oh, really? You're pretty cocky, huh?" She then dropped a kunai from her coat sleeve down into her hand. The woman threw the kunai, which scrapped the blonde boy's cheek enough to draw blood before continuing on.

I watched as the kunai cut a single strand of Shiore's hair before moving out of Anko's way. I held my hands behind my back as she appeared behind the boy.

"Heh. Your kind are always the first to go," she noted before grabbing his right cheek. The purplenette leaned down and licked up some of the blood that came out of the cut. "Spilling all that rich, red, lovely, luscious blood..."

I looked at Shiore, who crept up behind Anko, before motioning for him not to get any closer. I got ignored as his tongue extended out to half of his body length, holding the kunai out towards the proctor.

The woman dropped another kunai down her sleeve before whipping it back to counter the kunai coming towards her.

"Your kunai... I believe you dropped it," Shiore said as he tipped his hat up a bit.

"Gee... Thanks," Anko replied sarcastically.

The stared each other down for a second while I awkwardly looked between them and motioned to the group they were putting a show on for.

"Don't just stand behind me radiating bloodlust... unless you're in a hurry to die," the woman finally said as she grabbed her kunai. She drew her tongue back into her mouth with a small grin.

The man took a step back as his tongue quickly withdrew into his mouth. "I'll try to keep it under control... But the sight of warm, fresh blood really makes me crazy... And I was already revved up... from loosing a strand of my precious hair." He then turned heel and walked back to his group.

"Sorry about that," Anko apologized, totally not sorry.

Uzumaki-kun watched while rubbing his cheeks before sticking his tongue out, clearly trying to stretch it out like Shiore did to his.

I sighed before gently elbowing the blonde. "It's clearly his kekkei genkai. Normal people can't do that with their tongues, so he most definitely has some special mutation in his blood which allows him to do that sort of tongue thing."

"Looks like we have a hot-blooded team on our hands this time out! Heh... Should be fun..." Anko said with a grin before reaching into her coat. "Before we begin the second exam... there's something I have to hand out." She pulled out a stack of papers that had the words 'Consent Form' on top of it.

Yep. People are going to die left and right, I thought as I stared at her blankly. "You know, Morino Ibiki said that we couldn't harm any other applicants with the intent to kill. It that being revoked?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. These are consent forms. Everybody has to sign one," Anko said.

"...Why?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"We want all the details to be covered before the first deaths occur. Sign before you go in, so we can't be held liable. You wouldn't want me to get in trouble, would you?" She gave a laugh. "First, I'll explain what the second exam entails. Then you can sign the forms. With the other two members of your team, bring the forms to the hut behind you and submit them. Got that? Now about the exam." She handed the stack over to Uzumaki-kun, who took one before passing the papers to me. "To put it simply..."

I took my own before passing it to someone else, my eyes directed towards the woman.

"... It's a no-holds-barred survival test. Let's start with the topography of this training ground. I'll explain the rest later." Anko pulled out a map and unrolled it to show a diagram of the Forest of Death. "Training Ground #44 is bordered by a circular perimeter, interrupted at regular intervals by forty-four locked gates. There are forests and a river... And in the center is a tower about ten kilometers from those gates. Within the confines of this area carefully delineated area, you're going to undergo a survival test. During the course of the test, you may use any ninja jutsus or weapons you have at your disposal."

Many deaths. Let's see... I'm guessing that only 19 people will pass this part of the exam. I glanced over at my team before thinking, I'm willing to bet on their survival.

The proctor pulled two scrolls out of her coat, one white one and one black one. "It's a kind of fight-to-the-death version of "capture the flag"... Or, in this case, "capture the scroll"."

"Scroll?" Some dude asked.

"Exactly!" Anko chirped before holding out the two scrolls.

The white scroll had the kanji for heaven - ten. The black scroll had the kanji for earth - chi.

"There's a "scroll of heaven" and a "scroll of earth" ...And your objective is to acquire both scrolls. There are seventy-nine of you here. That's twenty-six three-member teams and one person that's taking the test on their lonesome. Thirteen teams will start out with a heaven scroll, and the other thirteen will start with an earth scroll. The one taking the test by themself will start off with no scroll. But, you'll need both scrolls to pass. So, your objective is to hold on to your own scroll, get your hands on one of the other kind, and bring them both to the tower at the center." She held both of the scrolls together to get her point across.

"In other words, at least half of us - the thirteen teams whose scrolls are stolen - will fail," Sakura noted with a furrowed brow.

"You bet! And there's a time limit!" Anko added. "You have 120 hours in which to complete this exam - exactly five days!"

"Five days?!" Ino-chan exclaimed in shock.

"What are we supposed to do for food?!" Chouji-san yelled.

"That's your problem. The forest's full of nature's bounty. Of course, they're also full of man-eating animals, deadly insects, and poisonous plants," the woman answered nonchalantly, "There's no way as many as thirteen teams will pass this. As the time shortens, the trials will come harder and faster with less recovery for any mistakes, accidents, or injuries. You'll be surrounded by enemies at all times, so you'll have to sleep with one eye open. So, in addition to those who die in attempts to defend or capture a scroll, some of you are bound to succumb to exhaustion, exposure, starvation, and dehydration."

She gave a smile and a wave. "Now, let's talk about the rules and what offenses you can be disqualified for!" She held up her index finger. "Obviously, the teams that fail to reach the tower in time as a three-man team, save for the one odd person, carrying both a heaven and an earth scroll are out."

She held up a second finger. "So is any team that loses a member, whether to death or severe injury." Anko then placed her hands on her hips. "And under no circumstances can you leave the forest before the time is up. No recess. No timeouts. Also... You're forbidden to look at the contents of the scrolls until you're inside the tower!"

Duh. Who looks at the scroll they are supposed to carry from one place to another? I thought with slight annoyance.

"What happens if we sneak a peek?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

The proctor held up a finger and replied, "That's for those who look to know!"

"Eh?" The blonde muttered.

"If any of you make it to the chÃ»nin level, there will be times when you'll be entrusted with top-secret documents, so consider it a test of your trustworthiness. That's all the explanation you get. We'll trade one scroll for every three forms, unless you're the exception. When you've got yours, choose the gate you want to start from. Everyone will begin at the same time. One final piece of advice..." She trailed off before looking at us seriously. "Stay alive!"

The three other proctors drew a curtain around the small hut and called out, "It's almost time to distribute the scrolls."

I snapped my fingers at my team before motioning for them to go away from the rest of the group for a bit. I was thankful they followed after me. Once I was sure we were a reasonable distance away, I crossed my arms as I looked at them. "You're being targeted. Remember that guy with the long tongue? He has his eyes set on this group, probably because it was announced before the last test that you guys are rookies. Therefore, before the test begins, I'm telling you here and now that I can only help you so much before I must depart to take the exam myself."

"Why would you help us though?" Uzumaki-kun asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

"You're my teammates, chÃ»nin exams or not. I will not allow you to get harmed if I can do something to protect you. Kakashi-sensei taught us teamwork, and I don't intend on letting any of my teammates die any time soon. My heart can't take it..." I lowered my head as I clenched my hands into fists. "Not after the bridge. I refuse to allow it to happen again."

"It's fine. We're going to be together. No one will get badly hurt," Sakura said reassuringly as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"And I'm going to make sure. Have you decided what gate you'll start at?" I questioned as I looked at them seriously.

"No. We don't know which ones have been chosen yet," Uchiha answered, making me hum.

"Then go to 12. It's close to a water source, but not so close as to put you in danger of those who are well-versed in water jutsus. I'll take 13," I said, earning nods from my teammates. "Great. Let get these things signed and head out."

"I'm so ready for this!" Uzumaki-kun cheered, earning a punch to the head from my sister.

I gave a small sigh before heading over to the booth. I found a stray pen along the way, so I signed my name before chucking the pen towards my team. I then went over to the hut to hand in my consent form. I was slightly annoyed that I had to do extra work, but life wasn't always kind to people.

"All right everyone!" Anko yelled as soon as everyone got their scrolls, "Follow your proctors to your respective gates! When the signal sounds in half an hour, the exam will begin!"

I followed said proctor to the 13th gate and stretched my limbs. I hummed a simple tune as I got ready to head over to my sister to guide them towards the tower.

The proctor unlocked the gate and allowed to chains to fall to the ground. He then looked down at his watch while waiting for a certain time.

"In sickness and in health... We share joy and pain," I internally sung as I focused my chakra.

The man suddenly opened the gates and allowed me to step in.

I did so before teleporting to my sister. "Now let's hurry. We're sitting ducks out here."

"You said you've been here before, right? What's the fastest way to the tower?" Uchiha questioned as we quickly began to move into the forest.

"Though this isn't the fastest way, it's the safest. If we keep heading in that direction, we should reach the tower without facing any man-eating animals. We only have to worry about other shinobi at this point," I explained as I pointed in the direction I was headed in.

"Are you sure? This place is really creepy," Sakura muttered as she looked around warily.

"I would never lie to you about something that's a matter of life and death," I stated, not bothering to shoot back a look of annoyance at her lack of trust in me.

After a few minutes of moving, a scream echoed out through the air.

We all stopped on the ground and looked in the general direction we came from.

So it has started, I noted blankly.

"Did you guys hear someone... scream?" Sakura asked hesitantly. "This place is creeping me out!"

"I'm telling you, Sakura, it's not big deal," Uzumaki-kun said with his hands behind his head. He suddenly gained an odd look on his face before walking over to the nearest bush. "...Uh... I gotta take a leak."

Sakura quickly punched his head as I facepalmed in the background. "Not in front of me, bozo! I'm a lady! Use the bushes!"

"Ow!" Uzumaki-kun cried out before walking into the forest out of sight to take a leak.

"If any of you have to go to the bathroom, I suggest you do it now. We need to cover ground, and fast," I said as I crossed my arms and looked between the two.

"I'm fine," Uchiha stated, and Sakura quickly nodded to agree.

"Great. Now we just have to wait for the fool," I mumbled before something entered my somewhat small field of sensory range. I looked over and narrowed my eyes at the bushes Uzumaki-kun went into not too long ago. I quickly grabbed a kunai and got ready for an attack.

Uzumaki-kun, or someone who badly transformed into the boy, came out of the bushes with a grin. "Oh, man! What a relief! Feelin' good now!"

I quickly ran to him before holding a kunai to his neck. "You have a scroll on you, Amegakure fool?"

"H-have you lost your mind?!" The fake Uzumaki-kun yelled at me.

I gave him a wide grin as I grabbed the front of his shirt. "My little blonde idiot is right-handed, not left-handed. And besides, Anko gave him a cut before the exam began, in case you forgot."

The guy pushed me back before releasing his transformation. "Since you've forced me to come clean, why don't you do the same? Which one of you has the scroll?!"

My teammates quickly drew kunais as I teleported to him. I pierced the gas-part of his mask before quickly jumping back. "Uchiha!"

He did a few quick handsigns before performing a fire jutsu aimed at the man who I had exposed. His flames barely caught the tip of the gas, causing a small explosion.

I grit my teeth as the Amegakure ninja jumped into the trees, somewhat unaffected. I glanced over at the Uchiha before letting him deal with the enemy. I teleported to Uzumaki-kun and quickly cut him free. "Next time, just stand behind the nearest tree and piss. Gross or not, it's better than this."

"S-sorry," Uzumaki-kun apologized as he stood up.

I quickly went after Uchiha and narrowed my eyes at the guy who had gotten behind my teammate. I threw my kunai and watched as the other guy retreated.

Uchiha activated his sharingan as he used chakra to grab my kunai with the bottom of his foot. He then kicked that foot forwards and allowed the kunai to quickly fly through the air in the direction of the enemy. He pulled out another kunai and stabbed the Amegakure ninja's arm.

"Good call!" I yelled as I appeared next to him to give backup.

The ninja kicked Uchiha back, causing me to retreat so I could catch the Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura gasped, horrified that he'd actually stab another person.

"He gave me no choice! Now move! We don't know where his friends are! You got that? Keep standing there, and you'll end up dead!" Uchiha yelled back at Sakura before getting steadied by me.

"He's alone. It doesn't seem like he has his team's scroll. Should I track him and get his team's scroll?" I asked the slightly taller boy.

"No. We need to do something else first," Uchiha said before wiping the blood from his face. He sat down and motioned for my other two teammates over. "Remember this. If we get separated again, we can't trust each other blindly! It could end up the way this did!"

"But what can we do?" Sakura asked.

"The safest thing is for us to have a secret password," Uchiha replied, "That way, we'll know. No matter what they look like, or how they sound, if one of us gets that wrong, they're the enemy! Listen very carefully. I'll say it only once! It's a poem called "ninki"!"

Ninja opportunity? I think I've heard it before. It's too long for Uzumaki-kun, which is probably the point. I can tell who my teammates are by their chakra, but they don't know me as well as they think they do. I gave a small sigh as he began to speak again.

"When I ask for it, here's what you respond... "We thrive in chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait until the enemy lowers the gate"," Uchiha recited.

"Bingo!" Sakura replied with a happy smile.

"And you expected me to remember that how?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled.

"You are such a dunce. I've already got it down!" Sakura scolded.

"We need a better password! How about swordfish?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"I'll take the scroll," Uchiha said as he got up to his feet. He quickly took the scroll from Uzumaki-kun.

"They're here," I told Uchiha as I got to my feet as well. I looked towards Shiore as he used a high-end wind jutsu. I slipped away into the trees and stared down apathetically as he moved in. I then turned my attention to his teammates, who stayed back. I gave a small grin before making a few kage bunshins. I looked at them, nodded, and then turned my focus down to the two sitting ducks.

One of my kage bunshin made the first move. They lunged at the two men with a kunai drawn.

My brow furrowed as they failed to move. I watched as my bunshin killed the other two with a surprising amount of ease. I looked over to my other shadow clones, only to see that they were just as confused as I.

One of my bunshins suddenly pointed down and muttered, "Mud."

I looked down and saw that the two that my other bunshin had just killed were turning into mud. I jumped down and stared in confusion as everything but their faces turned back into mud. I hesitantly picked up one of the faces, only to recoil in disgust upon realizing that it was genuine skin.

"Mud clones with real human faces? What a sick fuck. Shiore probably isn't who he says he is," my bunshin noted as he pulled my single sealing scroll out of my back pouch. He sealed the faces away before holding the scroll back to me.

I felt disgusted as I stared down at it. I didn't want to carry two faces around, no matter how much of a sadist I was. "I need to go."

"Should I go ahead and warn the proctor?" He asked, making me pause.

I looked at him blankly before giving a small sigh. "Alright. Just don't get me disqualified."

He nodded, put the scroll away, and then rushed off.

I can trust myself to get the job done. Now I just need to deal with Shiore, I thought before teleporting to Sakura. "I'm here."

Uchiha glanced at me and asked despite the fact Shiore was literally a few meters away, "Password?"

"Fuck you, Duckass... It's swordfish, right?" I snapped, making him nod simply.

"You're Ren," he declared.

"Where the hell is the idiot?" I muttered, earning a shrug. I looked up towards the trees were my shadow clones were still located. I smirked as they all scattered to find the blonde and help him.

Shiore suddenly pulled out a chi scroll and held it up. "I suppose you'd like to steal our earth scroll, wouldn't you? Since you've already gotten a heaven scroll!" He suddenly brought the scroll up to his mouth and wrapped his long tongue around it.

I watched him deep-throat the scroll and internally thought, Never gonna suck a dick after this... Not that I ever have before, but still.

"Now..." Shiore said after he finished swallowing the scroll. "Shall we see... just who will be stealing scrolls from whom?" He looked at us and pulled his lower eyelid down. "We'll fight to death!"

I felt horrified as my body was suddenly being torn apart by the wind. I felt my blood being splattered everywhere before a kunai was sent towards my forehead. I forced my fight hand out and blocked the kunai that was surely going towards my sister's forehead. As the cold metal pierced through my skull, I was released from the genjutsu.

That was... It was only... Just a genjutsu... That genjutsu could have rivalled one from the Uchiha clan.

Genjutsu... My worst possible area of expertise. I should have worked on genjutsu, I internally criticized myself before taking in a shaky breath. I then closed my eyes and ignored the fact my heart was still pounding with fear. I placed my hands on my teammates shoulders before channeling a large amount of my chakra into them.

Sakura suddenly released a gasp as she got her shit together.

Uchiha released a small grunt, whether that was in thanks or something else, I couldn't tell.

I stood up shakily before glaring at Shiore's neck. "I suppose it's a good thing I have this habit..."

"So you can stand up after something like that? You really are special, aren't you?" Shiore questioned with a small chuckle. "Even though I'm not here for you, it'd be a shame to let you go."

"Sakura, Sasuke... Leave," I demanded as I pulled out a kunai. I began to walk towards Shiore as my chakra fluctuated around me. I'm not going to be around for much longer... I'm willing to bet on it now. Whether it be from death or some life-changing injury... I grit my teeth before starting Shiore dead in the eyes. "You're not going to keep me down with something that can't even dream of holding a candle to Itachi's sharingan!"

His eyes widened before a grin came to his lips. He definitely wasn't just a genin. He was much more dangerous, but I wasn't going to tuck my tail and run.

I teleported myself to him as I swung my kunai towards his chest.

He jumped back before grabbing my wrist tightly.

I swung my feet around to nail to side of his head. "Aren't you going to try your genjutsu again?" I watched him duck under my kick and quickly pulled a kunai out. "Come on! Summon up your illusions!" I demanded as I tried stabbing the hand that held my wrist. "Stab me! Kill me!" I was finally freed from his grasp and gave a wide grin as I stood up and faced him with my arms extended out. "I'll even give you a free shot!"

Shiore narrowed his eyes at me. "You're definitely not normal."

My grin became ten times more malicious as I looked down at him with narrowed eyes. I threw the kunai I was holding at him, only for him to dodge to the left. I pulled out two more kunais and threw one at the direction he was going before teleporting to the kunai I had previously thrown. I looked at the Kusagakure shinobi's back as I pulled the kunai I was holding with all of my might. I watched as he was split in half before frowning at the log that took his place.

"I'll need to take care of you first!" Shiore yelled as he rushed forwards with a kunai in his hand.

I dipped under his kunai before kicking his solar plexus as hard as I could. I then backtracked as I drew a few shuriken. I should have brought more weapons.

Shiore rushed after me with murderous intent in his eyes before he cast the same genjutsu he just used.

As the wind ripped me apart, I laughed and lunged for the guy, my shuriken heading straight for him. "This move again?! Don't you have anything more original?!" I felt my heart pounding harshly in my chest as the genjutsu was suddenly stopped, revealing that Shiore had moved away several meters. I drew my last kunai as I yelled, "What's wrong?! You were talking all that good shit a second ago! And then I got through your fucking genjutsu!"

"What clan are you from?" He growled at.

"I've from the civilian household: Haruno! My name is Haruno Ren, and I'm the best goddamn rookie in Konoha!" I declared smugly before chuckling. "And today, we have this fake Kusagakure ninja that were gonna tear apart and eat for lunch! I can't wait!"

He narrowed his eyes at me before suddenly smirking. "So we're going to have to go this route, eh? It's a shame. I didn't want to have to kill you."

"Life's a bitch, and then you die. And right now, you're looking at the biggest bitch this side of the Forest of Death," I said before teleporting to him once more while swinging my kunai.

He grabbed onto my arm before suddenly jerking my body to the side. He made it evident he was just playing with me earlier as he slammed my body into the ground. Shiore dug his foot into my stomach, causing me to grit my teeth before a laugh broke out of my throat.

"Kick me harder, Shiore~!" I cooed at him before dropping my kunai. I grabbed it with my other hand and threw it towards his face, only for him to easily catch it. "Son of a bitch."

The imposter gave a chuckle before pulling me up by my arm. He slashed my kunai across my chest, leaving a deep cut that would need immediately treatment should I be allowed the privilege to stay alive. Shiore then dropped me as if I was a broken toy he had no interest in.

Play along. Let him out of sight, and then you can bandage yourself up, I thought as I fought against my body's urge to twitch to life.

"And now, for the Uchiha..." Shiore muttered before jumping into the trees.

Oh, fuck me, I thought as I sat up. I quickly pulled a roll of bandages out from my pouch before pulling my shirt off. I stared down at my bleeding chest and felt dizzy just looking at the amount of blood I had already lost. I was cut from just under my right collarbone to under my left pectoral. I bandaged my chest, not worrying about the infection that I was sure to spread through the wound.

As it turns out, sitting there like that made me a sitting duck for a certain animal. A large snake slithered up behind my before flicking its tongue at me a few times.

I felt my blood drain from my face as I finally finished wrapping up my chest. I looked up at the snake before shakily raising my middle finger. "Could you maybe fuck off for a few minutes?"

The snake stared at me silently before opening its mouth wide.

I released a groan before pulling out several of my shuriken. I teleported to a nearby kunai before throwing the shuriken at the snake. I watched as the snake fell to the ground and groaned again as my head fell back. "That was my favorite shirt!"

The dead snake didn't roll over to allow me to get my shirt.

"Fine, fucking whatever. I have to go help Sakura and the Duckass anyways," I grumbled under my breath before collecting all of my previously disregarded weapons. I teleported to Sakura and groaned at the feeling of my body wanting to lay down and die.

"Ren! What happened to you?!" Sakura exclaimed as she grabbed me and laid me down on the branch she was on.

"Where the fuck is Uchiha? That Kusagakure ninja isn't actually from Kusagakure. He's some sort of weirdo that took the place of that shinobi. Right now, he's after Duckass," I explained as I sat up despite her protests. I looked around before realizing I had literally no idea where anyone else besides Sakura was.

"W-we got split up again. I haven't been able to find Sasuke-kun or Naruto," she said as she looked around worriedly.

I gave a groan before sensing out the chakra seal on the duckass. I then grabbed ahold of her hand and lead her to an area near Uchiha, who was, at that very moment, battling Shiore. "Oh my fucking gods! I leave you fuckers alone for three goddamn minutes-"

"Get away!" Uchiha yelled as he threw shuriken at the snake that was rapidly approaching him. He landed on the branch in front of my sister and I.

The snake's skin suddenly opened, and Shiore came out, slowly standing up.

"I suddenly remembered why I hate puddles!" I blurted out as Sakura gave me an odd look. "Yo! That dude looks just like the puddle people I saw!" I pointed at the dude to get my point across before pausing. "I mean, he's more slimy, and he's coming out of a dead snake... But it's basically the same thing!"

"Your puddle people don't exist! This is a really bad situation, Ren!" Sakura scolded.

"Yeah, no shit! You think I'm bleeding this badly for kicks?!" I yelled back while motioning to my chest.

She shut up before looking back at Shiore, who had started wrapping his body around the tree while slithering in the general direction of Uchiha.

"You're never going to Kusagakure," I whispered to my twin, who gave a simple, but horrified, nod.

Suddenly, a row of shuriken impaled the tree in Shiore's path. As everyone looked up towards where they came from, Uzumaki-kun yelled out, "Sorry Sasuke... I can't remember that stupid password!"

"I have never been so glad to see an idiot in my entire life!" I cried out, earning a small smack to the back of my head, courtesy of my sister, of course.

"Sweet! Naruto, that was awesome!" Sakura praised.

"Naruto to the rescue, huh? You're completely psyched about saving the day... But... Now would be a good time to run for your life! This guy is way out of our league!" Uchiha yelled at Uzumaki-kun.

"For once, and I never believed the day would come where I would have to say this, but Sasuke is right! We need to go! Get your ass over here, so I can transport us somewhere else!" I yelled at Uzumaki-kun.

Shiore gave a small chuckle as he draped himself over the branch he was on. "My compliments on your stunning defeat of the giant snake... Naruto."

There was a glare off between Uchiha, Uzumaki-kun, and Shiore. They were clearly all trying to asses the situation and see what could work to their advantage.

"Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size...? Or something like that..." Uzumaki-kun said, lamely at that.

Uchiha silently glared before suddenly deactivating his sharingan. He pulled out his team's scroll and yelled, "If it's our scroll you want, come and get it! Just take it and go!"

"Huh?" Sakura muttered, earning a nod from me.

"Sasuke! What the heck do you think you're doing?! Is this some clever way of beating the enemy?! By handing over everything we've got?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at the boy with a brain the size of a duck's.

"Well done," Shiore praised as his body unwrapped from around the tree. "You're obviously natural-born prey... Instinctively knowing that you're only hope lies in the chance of the predator being distracted by some tastier bait!"

"Come and get it!" Uchiha yelled as he began throwing his team's scroll to the other ninja.

Uzumaki-kun suddenly jumped and intercepted the scroll. He caught it and landed right behind Uchiha.

Duckass swirled around with fury in his eyes. "Stay out of this! You'll ruin everything!"

The blonde then punched Uchiha across the face, sending the black-eyed boy to flying through the air, causing him to land on a different nearby branch.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Uchiha yelled at the panting Uzumaki-kun.

"Naruto... What are you...?" Sakura trailed off as I forced myself to sit up a bit straighter.

I winced a bit at the pain in my chest before allowing my head to flop fowards. I watched as some blood splattered against my lap and groaned softly. Perhaps me not being around for long will be because I'm going to die. Ah, this hurts, and not in the good way.

"Ren!" Sakura gasped softly as she forcefully laid me back down. "Don't get up anymore. Just stay still. Please don't try to do anything else. You could die."

I grit my teeth, but followed my sister's request. I decided to just listen to the fight and save up my energy.

"I forgot the stupid password... So I can't prove it... But this so-called Sasuke is obviously fake!" Uzumaki-kun yelled.

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Naruto... You idiot! I'm me...!" Uchiha replied.

"That's bull!" Uzumaki-kun snapped, "And you're the idiot, idiot! You're a coward. Which Sasuke isn't. So you're not him! I'm not so sure we need to be afraid of this guy... And even if we did hand over the scroll... There's no guarantee he'd spare us! So, even if you were Sasuke, I'd still be telling you you're an idiot... And maybe a chicken, too!"

"Oh, Naruto! This is rich!" Shiore pipped up with a large smile before his tongue came out to lick his lips. "And you're right."

Uchiha jolted in surprise.

"Why bargain..." He pulled up his left sleeve, showing a tattoo on his skin. "...when I can simply kill you..." He bit his right thumb just enough to draw blood. "...and take the scroll?" He smeared his blood down his arm on a straight line over the tattoo.

"Shut up!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he rushed towards Shiore.

"Don't do it, Naruto!" Uchiha demanded, worry evident in his voice.

As Uzumaki-kun lunged for the fake Kusagakure shinobi, the air around Shiore began to whip around. His eyes were filled with wrath as a snake suddenly appeared, making me realize that the large snake I killed earlier was a summoning.

As I stared at Shiore with wide eyes, a certain memory I hadn't thought about in years suddenly came barreling to the front of my mind.

"Geez. That grin makes you look just like Orochimaru," the blonde commented as she looked down at me.

"Who's Orochimaru?" I asked with a small tilt of my head.

She flinched away, her amber eyes quickly looking away. "He's no good."

I stared for a moment before questioning, "Aren't you gonna tell me more? What happens if I run across this freak and all I know is his name?"

She punched my head, sending me crashing into the ground. "Shut up! Make an inference based off his name, and leave me alone!"

"At least tell me what rank he is!" I demanded as she stomped off.

"S-Rank!" She yelled back before pausing. She suddenly looked back at me with narrowed eyes. "He holds the same rank as me, and if you know as much about me as you claim... Then you should know he's not someone that you want to mess with."

I felt horror bubble to my life as I sat up once again. "There's no way... I have to be wrong..."

"Ren! Lay-" Sakura cut herself off upon seeing my horrified expression.

I shakily stood up before yelling out, "Shiore! Your real name is Orochimaru, isn't it?!"

The black-haired man stopped in his tracks before looking over at me with a wide smirk. "It sure took you a while to figure out. You're not as clever as you make yourself appear."

"R-Ren! What's wrong with you?!" Sakura exclaimed as I collapsed to my knees.

I dug my fingers into the bark of the tree before muttering, "That guy... He's an S-Rank criminal - a legendary sannin that was taught under Hokage-sama himself... I thought it was weird that he knew some jutsu that could actually remove someone else's face. It's probably a forbidden jutsu." I shakily brought my hands up to my face and held it as I began to hyperventilate. "We're this close to death. Oh gods, what if he decides to kill us all. I don't have enough chakra left to do anything. I need to warn the proctors. An S-Rank criminal snuck in, and he's after Uchiha-"

"What do you mean he's after Sasuke-kun?" Sakura interrupted.

I blinked before looking up at the sole survivor of the Uchiha Massacre. "He's after Sasuke, and him specifically. He's the sole survivor of his clan, and probably the easiest target for his clan's kekkei genkai. Uchiha needs to keep away from Orochimaru at all times."

"H... He's after Sasuke-kun's sharingan?" Sakura questioned worriedly.

"Most likely. You three need to leave, now. Transform into someone else and just go. I'll hold him off for as long as possible," I said as I shakily stood up, my hands trembling as fear ran through my body.

"Are you crazy?! We're not leaving you alone!" Sakura yelled.

"Yes, you fucking will!" I screamed as I glared at her, causing her to flinch back. "You couldn't possibly image what kind of shit-storm we just walked into. We could all die. I shit you fucking not!"

"You're in no condition to fight!" Sakura replied as anger and worry swirled together inside of her jade-colored eyes.

"I know. But I'm just going to die anyways. Mind as well go out with a bang," I gave a chuckle before spitting out some more blood.

Sakura punched my kidney, causing my knees to buckle down from the pain. "Stay here, idiot!"

I whimpered as I fell down on the branch and curled into a small ball. "That's not going to help me."

"You're not dying," she muttered as tears came to her eyes. "You're my brother... I'm not letting you die."

"Hey! Get off of me!" Uzumaki-kun yelled loudly, gaining our attention. His eyes were red with fox-slit pupils in them. The birthmarks on his face had widened, and his teeth were barred like he was some sort of animal.

Orochimaru had wrapped his tongue around the boy's waist and pulled him up towards himself. He made some odd hand sign with his hands and said, "Heh heh... The brat of the kyÅ«bi is still alive and kicking!" He put his right hand to the side as chakra became visible at the very tips of his fingers. "How fascinating that, when he is consumed with rage, he loses himself... And a bit of the nine-tailed demon trapped within comes through. An amazing development!" He used his tongue to lift up Uzumaki-kun's shirt, revealing an odd-looking seal on his stomach. "There's the proof. The spell that seals the monster within appears on your skin like a tattoo." Orochimaru suddenly slammed his right hand into the seal, causing the blonde to gasp in shock.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto needs you!" Sakura yelled at the Uchiha.

Uzumaki-kun's eyes went wide before he blinked. The red disappeared, leaving a hazy blue in its place. He then flopped over like dead weight.

Orochimaru flung the boy over his shoulder after taking the scroll.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she threw a kunai. Her kunai, thankfully, caught Uzumaki-kun's shirt just right, allowing the boy to hang from a tree without the worry of falling to his death.

Uzumaki-kun wasn't waking up though, making it evident that he was down for the count.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled at the shaking boy, tears coming to her eyes. "Naruto may be nothing like you... He's clumsy, and he holds us back. And sometimes he's a big nuisance, but at least he's got guts! Naruto's no coward! Right?!"

I stared at her in shock, impressed that she finally told the Duckass off. I was tempted to clap my hands, but my body was honestly against that sort of movement at the moment.

Uchiha suddenly activated his sharingan as two tomoes appeared in both eyes. He was going to get his ass kicked...

Orochimaru wiped the blood from his arm, causing his summoning to disappear.

Uchiha rummaged around in his back pouch for a second before pulling out several kunais, and a larger shuriken. He threw four kunais with one hand, causing Orochimaru to jump back. He then grabbed ahold of a nearby tree. He threw his shuriken before summoning chakra to his hand. He threw his last kunai, only to have Orochimaru dodge it.

Orochimaru suddenly jolted when he realized that string was attached to the weapons. "A sharingan "windmill" - a three-pronged attack!" He then caught the shuriken in his mouth and mocked out, "Heh... Such a shame..." That cockiness didn't last very long as he looked back st the smirking Uchiha.

Duckass had made a few handsigns as he gripped onto one of his wire strings with his teeth. He then used a fire jutsu that quickly shot down the metal string, hitting Orochimaru's face dead on.

Shisui-san could do much better, I internally criticized as the fire on Orochimaru quickly went out.

"That one so young should have such mastery of the sharingan power...! Truly, a worthy successor to the honored name of the clan Uchiha!" Orochimaru lifted his head up, revealing the face he had was flaking away, showing what he truly looked like underneath. "In fact... I believe I want you, after all...!"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed as she left me to go stand next to Uchiha.

I took in a deep breath as I grabbed a kunai from my pouch.

"It's marvelous fun, having you show me all of your tricks!" Orochimaru exclaimed as he trapped Uchiha and my sister in another genjutsu, paralyzing them. He brushed away the Kusagakure symbol, revealing the Otogakure symbol on his headband. "You really are his brother, aren't you? You can see - and conceal - things with those eyes if yours that Itachi himself never dreamed of!"

This motherfucker thinks he knows Itachi's sharingan?! That's hilarious! Bitch probably hasn't seen a quarter of what Itachi-senpai can do! I thought as I made a hand sign, my kunai in between my upper and lower jaw.

"Just who the heck are you?!" Uchiha yelled, making me internally facepalm.

"I'm Orochimaru, the giant snake. If you'd ever like a rematch, then pass this exam as quickly as you can!" Orochimaru replied as he burned their scroll.

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed upon seeing their progress go down to zero.

"I'll see you again, if you manage to defeat the three oto-nin who answer to me," Orochimaru stated.

"Wh-what are you babbling on about?! We never want to see your face again!" Sakura yelled, even though I was willing to bet his face would never permanently go away.

He chuckled softly as he made another off hand sign. "Perhaps not... But wishing won't chase me away." His neck suddenly elongated and headed towards Uchiha and my sister.

I used the last of my chakra to teleport to his body. "Maybe wishing won't! But a lost organ will!" I spat my kunai out before stabbing it into one of his kidneys. I grinned viciously as a bit more of blood came out of my mouth. As my world spun and turned black, I pulled my kunai out of his wound. That last thing I remember from that day was Sakura screaming my name as I fell down from the tree branch.

The man held his side as he stood over the white-haired boy who was sprawled out across a branch hidden away by many leaves. A kunai was in his free hand as he glared down at the boy whose chest was just barely falling and raising.

The boy suddenly released sharp cough before his head tilted to the side. He coughed a few more times until blood came spilling out past his lips, onto the bark below.

Taking in a breath through his nose, the man kneeled down and slipped his kunai away. He ran his hand across the wound he made that was wrapped up. "I didn't realize it, but you bandaged it well. You've done several stupid things before, haven't you?" The snake-like man stopped moving his hand, and his eyes widened. "This chakra..."

The boy made a small face of discomfort as his left collarbone was being touched without restraint. He groaned softly as pressure was added to the skin that showed off part of his skeletal structure.

"Perhaps I will allow you to live after all. You aren't worthy enough to be a vessel, however..." The man made a hand sign as his teeth seemed to sharpen.

That's when the boy randomly rolled onto his side and slipped off of the branch he was previously laying on.

The taller of the two quickly extended his tongue out and caught to the boy who had curled himself into a ball while falling to his death, or what would have been his death had he not been caught. "You're definitely not worth the trouble, at least not today. Maybe one day in the future, but for now..."

The boy was set down on the branch and was left to defend himself.

"I'll let you live on. Hopefully you won't disappoint me, Ren-chan." And with that, the man quickly departed.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

I opened up my eyes and looked around in confusion. I hadn't recognized my surroundings, and my body refused to move. I blinked a few times before pain filled up my chest. I released a harsh cough before a metallic taste filled my mouth. I spat out a bit of blood as I forced myself to sit up.

There was a mossy tree branch below me. On all sides of me, save for below me, were many leaves from smaller tree branches that twisted around the area I was in. It was a natural shelter, one that I seemed to have the fortune of landing in.

After taking in my surroundings, I looked down at my body and cringed. Okaa-san is going to kill me... I got blood all over my clothes. Ugh, she's going to make me scrub them clean and sew them up. She's going to be even worse if I don't get my shirt back.

Suddenly, my big brother senses went off and told me my little sister needed me.

I made a quick hand sign before teleporting myself to her, only to cringe at the feeling of my still-depleated chakra supplies being strained. I'm gonna die...

"Where did you come from?" Sakura asked, making me look at her in confusion.

I then realized she wasn't talking to me and looked in the direction she was staring. I saw Lee-senpai and internally thanked the gods for making such a wonderful senpai.

"I came... because you needed me. And I always will!" Lee-senpai declared before letting the squirrel that was on his shoulder be free.

Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes before saying, "I don't know how to thank you. You're a lifesaver."

"I promised when we met..." Lee-senpai trailed off as he straightened up.

"Huh?" Sakura asked.

"...to protect you... until death do us part!" Lee-senpai finished, making Sakura looked at him with wide eyes. The black-haired boy clenched his fist as pride filled up his expression.

"You're so cool, Lee-senpai!" I gushed while holding my cheeks.

"R-Ren-kun?!" Lee-senpai stuttered as he turned towards me in shock. His eyes went wide as he saw the state I was in.

Sakura was immediately at my side. "Where did you come from?! I tried to find you, but-"

"Don't worry about it," I replied as I stood up, only for Lee-senpai to hold his arm up in front of me. I looked at the older boy in confusion, only to find that he had his focus directed towards the otonin. "Do you remember what I said before the first part of the chunin exam began?"

He gave a simple nod. "Of course! I shall take your observations seriously!"

The leader of the otonin lunged forwards while pulling back his sleeve.

Sakura threw a kunai towards his legs, causing him to jump into the air.

Lee-senpai shoved his fist into the ground, making the others look at him in confusion. That confusion turned to shock as he pulled up the large roots of the a nearby tree. "This is some kind of vibration trick, right? So I'd be wasting my time ducking your attack if it can hit me anyways! I've seen you use these moves before, and Ren-kun has explained it thoroughly already." He then unwrapped his arms, making my eyes widen.

"Shit. He's going to use it," I cursed as I stepped forwards, only for Sakura to grab my leg. "Let me go. I need to help."

"I need to look at your chest! Your bandages are all bloody, and it doesn't look like it's stopped yet!" She yelled at me.

"You don't understand-" I cut myself off as Lee-senpai wrapped his arms around the main otonin. "Fucking shit!"

Lee-senpai performed the Forwards Lotus, sending the guy with bandages all over his body into the ground. He jumped back and landed, trying to hide his muscle strain.

I jerked free of my sister's grasp as that ninja got out of the dirt without any serious injuries. I quickly jumped in front of him and reached my hand back towards him.

Begrudgingly, Lee-senpai handed over a few kunais.

I pointed back with my left index finger before extending the rest of my fingers out, my palm facing the boy.

"Okay," he agreed as jumped back towards my sister.

I gave a small sigh of relief before glaring at the boy that was probably a few years older than me. "So your country - Otogakure... Orochimaru has some powerful connections to it, huh? So what? Are you three little puppets used for his entertainment?"

The three jolted before glaring at me angrily.

I chuckled as I got into a fighting position, a kunai in each hand. "Thought so. Let me guess, you guys are after Uchiha under his orders. Hehe... Well you'll have to get through me, puppets."

"I'm going to kill you," the spikey-haired fruitcake growled as he stepped forwards.

I grinned sadistically before saying, "Unless you hold a fourth of the power he does, then your ass is grass. If I can live after fighting him without restraint, then you'll be a joke."

Of course, I hadn't won, and I was pretty sure my living was only a fluke. I wasn't going to tell them that shit though.

The boy growled at me before making a few handsigns.

I gave a small sigh before throwing a kunai towards him. I then ran as fast as I could and got behind him. I swung my other kunai towards his spinal column as he began to turn towards me with wide eyes.

The girl threw a few senbon at me, and I brought my other forearm up to prevent them from hitting anything important. She then pulled on a few strings and allowed to bells attached to those senbon to ring.

I grinned as I forced my kunai into the other boy's back, my aim thrown off slightly by my shaky equilibrium. "You think those little bells could be effective against someone who constantly breaks their own bodies down for fun?! This little trick is nothing!"

"Zaku! Retreat!" The bandaged guy yelled.

The spikey-haired otonin did so, my kunai still in his back.

I gave a small sigh before grabbing ahold of the senbon. I pulled them out before throwing them back towards the girl, who dodged them and glared towards me. I stretched my arms above my head while giving the group a bored expression. "Any other useless wastes of time you'd like to present me?"

Kami-sama- Would you just kill them?

I flinched slightly as I put a hand over my left eye. Shut up Sado. You're not permitted to take control.

Aw, but just look at them. They're all begging to die.

I closed my eyes for a moment and saw a boy who looked just like me grinning sadistically. Could you please fuck off? I don't need your help. You've already made me more sarcastic and bloodthirsty than normal.

Oh? And that hasn't helped you? He asked with a nasty grin.

I grit my teeth in reply as my smirk grew wider.

You might as well just dance the dance before we turn a completely ashen color. Strike them, and let it ring. Free me, and you'll fall into a peaceful sleep. At this rate, everyone else will get harmed, and it'll be all your fault. I won't expose all the lies that you've tamed. Besides, through this feverishly clouded mind of ours, you've been looking at a false image. You've been looking straight into a mirror.

...If I agree... You know not to hurt them, right? I questioned, earning a chuckle.

Sakura, Lee-senpai, Uzumaki-kun, and Duckass shall all remain unharmed.

...Fine, I thought before handing over control.

Fuck yes! He screamed before having full control over my body for the first time in years.

I stood up straight and grinned at the sight of a sound attack heading straight for me from Zaku. I teleported to him before grabbing him by the hair. I shoved his face into the ground with a small chuckle, causing a small crater to appear under the place of impact. "Whoops. My hand slipped."

"Zaku!" The girl yelled out with wide eyes.

I pulled the boy's head up, showing the blood that was running down his face. "Your dickless fruitcake is gonna need some stitches."

She took a step back away from me, clearly not liking her chances.

"Good bitch," I praised before going over to the other guy, who was heading for my senpai. I easily caught up before grabbing the back of his neck. I threw him over my body, slamming him into the ground. "I'm sorry, but where the fuck do you think you're going? I'm not done with you freaks."

He swung his fist at me, allowing his sound vibrations to enter my ears.

I snickered at the spinning world that was spinning. "Oh please, a little vertigo never hurt anyone." I then slammed my foot into his gut, causing him to roll back to his teammates. I took in a deep breath before my eyes widened. "Kaimon... Kyūmon..."

"Ren-kun!" Lee-senpai yelled out as I allowed my chakra gates to open.

I looked back at him with a grin. "Sorry, but I'm not going to tag out now. I have precious people to protect!"

"What's he doing?" Sakura asked Lee-senpai as I walked towards the otonin with narrowed eyes, my grin falling from my face.

"He opened two of the hachimon!" Lee-senpai exclaimed, worry evident in his voice. "The last time he tried, he ended up spitting out a bunch of blood and needed to be taken to the hospital! He's forbidden by Gai-sensei to use that move!"

I walked towards three as energy filled up my body. "Let's make this quick. I still need to do a few more things today."

Zaku growled before aiming a large attack at me.

I gave a small sigh of annoyance before making a few quick handsigns. I didn't bother putting my hands to the ground as a large wall of earth quickly rose up to take the attack. I allowed the wall to keep rebuilding itself until the attack was finished, in which it crumbled down to dirt once again. I continued walking towards the three, ignoring the way they seemed very worried of their situation. "You can't beat me right now. So either hand the scroll over and scram, or die here and now."

The three backed up a bit before Zaku suddenly grinned widely. "You say that, but who's gushing blood from their chest right now?"

I blinked a few times before looking down. I hummed at the blood that came pouring out of my bandages. I finally shrugged and said, "Good thing I don't have some sort of STD, huh? You three'd fucked."

"What are you talking about?" The girl asked with a furrowed brow.

I quickly a shadow clone and kicked him towards the three. I then ran at him, grabbed his leg, and used him like sort of human sword. "Fuck you, that's what!"

The three quickly jumped away as my bunshin gave an unamused expression.

"You're going to die alone," the doppelganger said.

"And you're going to die a virgin," I shot back before stomping its chest harshly, making it disappear. I then stretched my arms over my head before heading after Zaku, the cockiest of the bunch. "Sup?" I asked before I kicked him across the face. I then spat up a bit of blood and thought, Oh... Well shit... I'm so gonna pass out soon. Meh. Whatever? Let's make the most of it.

Kin threw a few kunais at me, snapping me from my thoughts.

I pulled out the last kunai Lee-senpai gave me and deflected them all. "Can you wait your fucking turn?"

Dosu suddenly came running at me as his right arm vibrated from the caliber of the attack he was about to use.

Well shit, I thought before getting punched across the face, the vibrations making the entire thing worse for me. My back hit a tree, and I spat out a bit of blood as I fell onto my ass. And my chakra supplies is gone. My body is too worn out to use it properly... Welp. Fuck this shit - I'm out!

"Ren!" Sakura exclaimed as I fell onto my side.

"Hah! That's what he get for talking like a big shot without being able to back it up!" Zaku yelled.

Fuck you man, I thought before internally groaning. What the fuck did you do to my body Sado? This is why you're not allowed to do anything! You scare Sakura, and you get my body all sorts of fucked up! The pain is so bad right now, not even my masochism can fix it!

Sorry, not sorry, he replied before going into the deepest part of my mind where he typically stayed.

I spat out some more blood as pain coursed through me. Fuck me sideways. I'm going to die here.

The bandaged bastard began running towards Lee-senpai. He swung a fist, only to be dodged. His vibrations clearly made it into Lee-senpai's ears though. "Your moves may be fast, but ours are supersonic! And muscles alone can't break down this wall of sound!"

The green-clad boy released a noise of pain before suddenly throwing up.

"Lee-san!" Sakura exclaimed.

Lee-senpai suddenly covered his left ear with both of his hands, his eardrum bleeding just as mine were.

"It's this appliance on my arm, you see?" The main guy asked as he held up his right arm with the contraption on it. "It prevents you from blocking my attacks."

"What did you use on him?!" Sakura demanded go know, earning a chuckle.

"It's sound! Even if you block my fist, the sound waves reach you," he explained as he lowered his arm slightly. "Do you understand the fundamental nature of sound?"

"Vibrations...?" My sister questioned.

"Precisely. When you hear a sound," the guy reached up and pulled at his exposed left ear, "It's actually those vibrations displacing the air, which trembles against your eardrums. And the human eardrum - the tympanic membrane - ruptures when exposed to sound levels in excess of 150 phons. Moreover, if the sound is powerful enough to upset the liquid within the semi-circular canals of the deepest inner ear, it becomes impossible to maintain your balance. Heh heh... And it will be some time before your equilibrium returns."

"So, you see, crude, old-fashioned taijutsu simply doesn't work against us," Zaku added in. "You did start very well, though. It's rare for a foe to force me to reveal the nature of my attacks. But now the tide has turned against you! I can wield sound waves as a weapon that have enough force to crush boulders! And with a mere thought, I can use sound waves to force air beneath me, transforming rock-hard soil into the softest kind of cushion - as I did earlier - a far more elegant and effective art than your crude application of brute force."

Sakura jolted in horror as Lee-senpai shook.

"And now, it's your turn!" The bandaged guy yelled as he rushed towards Sakura.

I gave an annoyed sigh before pushing my luck. I made a hand sign, allowing myself to appear in front of my sister. I shakily raised up two middle fingers before Lee-senpai decided to save the day, and consequently, get himself more injured.

"What?!" The otonin exclaimed in shock.

"Konoha Hurricane!" Lee-senpai exclaimed as he swung his leg around. He flinched from the pain in his ear, making his attack practically useless.

"My last attack is finally showing some effect!" The guy exclaimed as he shoved Lee-senpai's foot away. He then swung his arm back. "You startled me at first, but now, where's that fast, laser-sharp attack of just a few moments ago?!" He hit Lee's arm, which was brought up to help block the attack. "This arm of mine magnifies every little sound from within to the utmost limits. It's an amplifier, and it goes to 11!"

I grit my teeth and internally cursed my uselessness. I felt tears coming to my eyes as Lee-senpai made an expression of the utmost pain. Are you serious?

"And not only that, but far from relying on the momentum of my arm's swing, I can use my own chakra to direct its power towards my chosen prey, wherever he may lie!" He yelled.

This can't be happening!

Lee-senpai released a scream of pain before collapsing onto his side.

This isn't...

"Lee-san!" Sakura exclaimed.

Please, kami-sama...

"Now..." The otonin raised his arm up. "...for the coup de grace!"

My tears spilled down my cheeks as I forced my body up, ignoring the blood that spilled past my cheeks. I stole a kunai from my sister and lunged for the otonin. I stabbed it into his leg and carved the necessary symbol before sitting before Lee-senpai, my hands quickly making a few handsigns. "Saku: Kuro no Hasu!"

The man looked confused before he suddenly released a scream of pain. He stumbled back before falling onto his ass. He clawed desperately at his chest and neck, his screams quickly becoming muffled.

"Dosu!" Zaku yelled as he grabbed at his teammate's yukata-like top.

I panted for a few seconds before suddenly laughing. My eyes couldn't stay focused on the man that was surely dying in a most painful way. I stopped laughing when a hand suddenly grabbed at my shorts. My smile dropped, as did my hands. I stopped the jutsu before it could kill the enemy, my head shakily turning towards the boy a year older than I.

"D... Don't..." He gasped out as tears came out of his eyes, blood slipping down his cheeks from his badly bleeding eardrum. "Please... Ren-kun..."

I looked away and hung my head, my body slumping over a bit. "...I'm sorry..."

He released me and curled into a ball, trying to keep his pain at bay.

I grit my teeth as tears flowed down from my eyes once again. He doesn't like that technique... He doesn't like my sadism either... Why do I keep messing it up? I probably made him hate me. I always do this. How many times will I have to mess up before I can finally get it right?

Dosu seemed to have gotten all of the lotuses out of his throat, or at least most of them, as he stood up with a little bit of help from Zaku. He looked furious as he shoved Zaku away and lifted his arm up.

"I don't think so!" Sakura yelled as she pulled out four kunais with her right hand and four shuriken with her left hand. She threw the kunais at Dosu, only for them to bounce off the device on his arm. She then threw the shuriken towards the bandaged douchebag.

Zaku quickly intercepted, earning a surprised look from Dosu. He blew the shuriken back at my sister before giving a small laugh.

Sakura's hair was caught by the female, who grinned down at her viciously.

"Lovely hair... So much more bounce and shine than mine has! What ninja technique is that - the art of deep conditioning?" The oto female mocked. "You're a disgrace to all shinobi... fussing with your looks when you should concentrate on your training!"

"Ow!" Sakura yelped as her hair was yanked.

I tried pushing myself up to help her, but my arms just shook. I couldn't stand up. I couldn't help her out when she needed it. What kind of useless brother was I?

"Zaku... Why don't you finish off Sasuke-kun or one of her other fallen heartthrobs right in front of this lovesick little pig? The least we can do is entertain her!" The girl asked cruelly.

"Hah! Good one!" Zaku replied before turning towards me. His eyes pierced through me as he said, "I think I'll start with the white-haired bastard."

"Hold still!" The girl yelled at Sakura, who tried to move towards me.

I shakily sighed as my body sagged down even more. I caught her eye and watched as she clenched her hands into a fist. I gave a closed-eye smile as Zaku approached me with an intent to kill.

"All right. Let's do this," Zaku growled out, a large smile stretching onto his lips.

Sakura suddenly pulled out a kunai from her holster.

"You're tricks are useless against me, little girl," the female commented, earning a smirk from my sister.

"You think so?" The pinkenette asked before cutting her long hair off.

"What?!" The girl exclaimed as she pulled back the hair that was no longer connected to my sister's head.

That hair... She grew that out ever since she was little in hopes of gaining the Duckass's attention. She was more attached to that hair than she'd ever truly admit, I thought as I finally collapsed to the ground.

My twin stood up, her headband falling to the ground as she did so. She clenched her hands into fists as a determined look etched itself on her face.

"Kin! Finish her!" Zaku commanded.

The otonin pulled out several senbon as she charged for my sister, who was making several handsigns. She stabbed a log that my sister replaced herself with.

Sakura pulled out several kunai and began to run for Zaku.

"Kin, look out!" The spikey-haired boy demanded as he made his own handsigns. As Sakura threw all her kunais at the boy, he said, "Give it up." He watched my sister make the same handsigns she just used as he outstretched his hands. "Poor, foolish girl... Just a one-trick pony." He perform a jutsu that sent all of her kunais back at her, only to hit a log. "Obviously... You're overhead!" He was right as to where my sister was. "Try it twice, try it thrice... That trick will never work on me!" He declared as he pulled four kunais out of his back pouch. He threw them at my sister and yelled, "My smallest skill is more than enough for you!"

Those four kunais pierced through my sister's skin, causing her to bleed. She pulled one out regardless of the pain and swung it back.

"Heh heh. Come out, come out, wherever you-" Zaku cut himself off when drops of my sister's blood landed on his headband and right cheek. "Eh?" His eyes widened as he looked up at the girl. He brought his arms up just in time to protect his important internal organs from my sister's attack. His arm was pierced my her blade before she bit his arm harshly.

I was shocked at her actions. Don't bite him! Stab his face, and then some!

"Get off!" Zaku yelled as he punched my twin's head. He kept punching and punching, cursing and demanding for his freedom. He drew blood from her, causing tears to appear in her eyes. He finally punched her hard enough to get her off of him.

She wanted whilst glaring back at him fiercely, blood running down her face. She shook from the effort of keeping herself up. Sakura was clearly dealing with muscle strain, as well as chakra strain. She probably took care of Uchiha and Uzumaki-kun all night, and it was obviously taking a toll.

"You little witch!" Zaku yelled as he extended his hands out towards my little twin sister.

I reached my hand out as I cried out, "N-no...! Please don't! Not my sister!"

That's when Shikamaru-san, Choji-san, and Ino-chan jumped out of the nearby bushes, landing in front of my sister. Well, Choji-san was actually dragged out, but you get the point.

"Hmph! The freak parade just goes on and on..." Zaku commented.

"Ino..." Sakura muttered in surprise.

"Sakura... I told you... I'd never let you show me up!" Ino-chan declared.

"Looks like more Konoha insects have scurried into the open," Dosu commented.

Choji-san jolted before yelling, "What are you two thinking?! These guys are too dangerous! We'll be eaten! Shikamaru, let go of my scarf!"

"Yeah right, idiot. This sucks, but we have no choice," Shikamaru-kun said as he kept a strong hold on the scarf in question. "If Ino is coming out, then us men can't run away!"

"Sorry to get you guys involved, but we are a team. We share the same destiny," Ino-chan apologized.

"We'll get through this somehow..." Shikamaru-san muttered.

"Hehe, you can leave if you want... Fatty," Zaku said, making me internally wince.

Oh, fuck... Shit is about to get real, I thought worriedly.

Choji-san's ear twitched before he asked, "What did he say? I couldn't hear him..."

"Huh?!" Zaku yelled, clearly not taking the fucking hint he should have. "If you want to, you can run away... You fatass!"

I actually flinched at that, and my gut churned. Okay, this has been nice and all, but... I reached back and grabbed Lee-senpai before pulling him behind me. "Don't... move..."

"I'm not a fatass! I'm just chubby, damn it!" Choji-san yelled as he whipped around before throwing his arms into the air. "Yaaay! Hurray for chubby!" He pointed over at his two teammates. "Alright! You guys know right! This is a war between Konoha and Oto!" He then glared towards Zaku with a fire in his eyes.

"Man... This is going to suck..." Shikamaru-san commented as he dropped his best friend's scarf.

"That's our line..." Zaku grumbled.

Sakura looked over at Uchiha and Uzumaki-kun, which was noticed by practically everybody.

"Sakura...! Take care of those two," Ino-chan ordered.

"Yeah!" Sakura agreed.

What the fuck are we?! I internally screeched as I used my body as a human shield for Lee-senpai, who had probably passed out by then.

"Alright, time for Ino Team Full Power!" Ino-chan exclaimed.

"Yeah," Shikamaru-san agreed, not sharing the enthusiasm.

"Ino-Shika-Cho Formation! Choji, do your thing!" Ino-chan commanded.

"OK!" Choji-san yelled before blowing his body up. He turned into a human ball and rolled towards Zaku.

"What's this weird jutsu...?" Zaku asked before extending his arms out. "Bah! It's just a rolling fatass." He released a high-powered wind from his hands and looked shocked when Choji-san suddenly went into the air. "What? He bounced upwards!" He was obviously in a tight pickle, realizing that air pressure was cancelled out by the spinning as well as the fact using sound waved when he was like that would imply physical contact, which would, in turn, result in a crushed arm on his part.

When Dosu began to run towards Zaku, Shikamaru-san used his clan's special shadow jutsu to lock the guy in place. "What...?! My shadow is..."

Choji-san slammed into the ground, seeing as how Zaku lunged out of the way.

"What the...?!" Dosu yelled as he put his fingers on the top of his head, looking like some weird monkey or something.

"Dosu, what are you doing at a time like this?!" Kin yelled angrily, not at all thinking about making a move to help her teammates.

"Ino! Now there's just the girl," Shikamaru-san said.

"Yup! Shikamaru, take care of my body," Ino-chan cooed before transferring her mind into Kin's.

"Whoa!" Shikamaru-san exclaimed as he caught his teammates body.

"Uuuu... Everything is spinning," Choji-san complained as he held his hand over his mouth. He was back to his normal size as his eyes spun around.

Kin pulled out a kunai before putting it to her neck. "It's over now! If you guys move an inch, I'll kill this Kin girl! If you don't want it to end here, then leave your scroll and get out of here! When I can't sense your chakra any longer, I'll let her go!"

Zaku and Dosu both grinned at the looked at Kin.

"Ino! Get the fuck out, now!" I yelled as Zaku raised his hand.

Zaku blasted air pressure at Kin, causing her to slam into a nearby tree trunk.

Ino-chan bled slightly from the corner of her mouth. Whatever happened to the body of the person she controlled would happen to her body as well, a drawback to her clan's jutsu.

"Ino!" Shikamaru-san exclaimed as he watched the blood trail down her chin.

"These guys... hurting their own comrade..." Kin muttered as she shakily lifted her head.

"Heh, you are confused..." Zaku said with a large grin.

"Our goals are not the stupid scrolls nor to safely complete this exam... It's Sasuke-kun!" Dosu explained.

"Rape-y much?" I mumbled as I looked at the guy in disgust.

That's when Shikamaru-san's jutsu ended, causing his shadow to go back to his own body.

"Ah... Looks like 5 minutes is this jutsu's limit. That girl's jutsu... Looks like she can enter her spirit into her opponent's body and take control, but... Hehe... From the looks of that internal bleeding, it seems that killing Kin will also kill her," Dosu commented as his right hand flexed.

"Bah, I can't take anymore of this..."

Ugh, it's the asshole. Wait- Oh thank kami-sama! It's the asshole! I internally cheered as I looked up to see Neji and Tenten-san on a nearby branch.

"Some minor Oto1nins bullying these second-rate ninjas and declaring victory?" Neji questioned like the asshole he was.

I shakily raised my finger with a cough while thinking, Bitch, I fought an S-Rank criminal, nearly died, faced off against these otonin fucks with an eighth of my strength, got my ass whooped... I don't need your fucking input! I could have totally taken these guys out if I hadn't fought Orochimaru first! ...Oh my gods. My kage bunshin just threw my scroll and a piece of bark with some random words on it through a random window of the tower before disappearing. They never actually gave an explanation to the proctor. I still need to do that and pass the exam. Thankfully on their way there, they stole two scrolls and buried them in a secret location that has a chakra seal, but... They failed their main fucking mission!

"What?!" Dosu yelled.

"They keep coming out like cockroaches..." Zaku said.

"You made a mistake..." Neji said.

"Lee..." Tenten-san mumbled.

"That knocked out freak right there is from out team, and that white-haired delinquent is very close to our team, so..." Neji activated his byakugan as he gained a fierce expression. "You're going to pay for that!"

An asshole, but a good shinobi, I thought as I allowed myself the privilege of relaxing.

"If you are going to go any further, I'm going all out..." Neji threatened before gaining a slightly surprised look. "Huh?"

Dosu gave a small laugh. "If you don't like it so much, then stop acting all cool and come down here..."

"No. It seems..." He closed his eyes as he deactivated his kekkei genkai. "That won't be necessary."

"Sasuke-kun! You're awake-!" Sakura cut herself off, making me look over at the Uchiha.

I felt horrified at the look in his eyes, as well as the markings on his body. What the fuck... happened to him?

"Sakura... Who... did that to you...?" Uchiha asked darkly.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, fear clear in her voice.

"Who did it?" He repeated.

"I did it!" Zaku answered with a smirk.

"Sasuke-kun... Your body..." Sakura said slowly.

He looked down at his right hand before replying, "Don't worry-"

"Bitch, I'm worried, and I fucking hate you!" I yelled at him before coughing out some more blood.

"Ren... Did they hurt you, too?" Uchiha asked, earning a shaky middle finger.

"Of course! He could barely stand, and he thought he could take us on!" Zaku boasted... like a dead man.

Hey, fuck you. I would have been great if your boss wasn't a fucking asshole, I thought before someone else unhelpfully butted in.

I mean, you'd have had a better chance if you let me take over before you two fought, Sado pipped up.

Why the fuck are you a part of me? I asked as I grovelled on the ground.

Fuck you, that's why, he snapped.

I released a small groan as I threw my head back a bit.

Sakura released a shaky breath as she looked up at the duck. "What are those-"

"Like I said, don't worry... Not only that... I feel power overflowing from within me. I feel... great," Uchiha admitted his expression slowly growing more and more dangerous. "He gave it to me."

"Huh?" My sister asked, still just as confused as I was.

"I finally understand it..." Uchiha continued, "I am an avenger... Even if I must eat the devil's fruit... I am on a path where I must gain power..."

I blinked at him before my eyebrows raised up. Oh, so you're gonna dive off the deep end soon. Okay, great. When I warn the proctor, and probably Hokage-sama, about Orochimaru, I'll be sure to shove you in there and your sudden obsession with getting power from an evil snake man. You're gonna be under high surveillance, Duckass.

"Now... It was you guys, right?" Uchiha growled as he glared at the otonin.

"Pfft," Zaku replied as he gained a cocky look.

"Ino, this is bad! You'll get caught up! Return to your body! You come too, Choji! We're hiding!" Shikamaru-san yelled as he ran towards the bushes with Ino-chan under his arm.

Choji-san quickly followed after Shikamaru-san as Ino-chan released her jutsu, causing her mind to go back to her own body and leave Kin's.

The markings on Uchiha began extending as his chakra seemed to grow darker and darker. His anger was taking control, and he wasn't going to back down any time soon.

Well, it's a good thing Kakashi-sensei only asked for my sado and maso seals, I thought as I reached my hand into my back pouch and pulled out a certain seal which was longer than most of my others. I stole a kunai from Lee-senpai and fumbled with the last of my wire string to try and connect the two together.

"His chakra is too large!" Dosu yelled at his spikey-haired teammate.

"Dosu! No need to be afraid of this half-dead freak!" Zaku replied as he slammed his hands together.

"No Zaku! Don't you realize?!" Dosu exclaimed as he futilely reached his hand out towards the other otonin.

Massive waves of air pressure blew out of Zaku's palms, his hands extended out towards where my teammates were. After he finished, he gave a laugh, not sensing Uchiha who was behind him. "I've blown him away!"

"Blown who away?" The duck asked before punching Zaku towards his teammate. He then pulled out a few shuriken while they were distracted and quickly made a few handsigns. As he blew a few small bits of flames towards the two, he hid his shurikens inside of the smallest balls of fire.

"So what?! I'll blast them away!" Zaku yelled as he used only enough air pressure to make the flames go out. As a result, the shuriken hit him dead on.

Uchiha quickly moved forwards towards his target, not even giving Zaku enough time to recuperate.

"Zaku, below!" Dosu yelled, but it was already too late.

Uchiha grabbed both of Zaku's arms and pulled them behind the boy. He put his foot of Zaku's back as he gripped his opponents wrists tightly. A large grin was clear across his face as a sadistic look entered his eyes. "Hehe... So you're proud of these two arms?" Uchiha then pulled the boy's arms back, causing them to pop out of their sockets before nearly breaking them from the pressure.

I finally finished with my work before throwing my kunai towards Sakura.

It landed in front of her, and the tears that were in her eyes seemed to double in volume.

"You're the only one left," Uchiha noted as he looked over his shoulder at Dosu. As he turned around, he said, "I hope you let me have more fun..."

Sakura grabbed my seal and pulled it free before running towards Uchiha. She reached around his back and slammed the seal onto his head, the rest of it hanging over his face. She then quickly dropped her arms so she could wrap them around his torso. "Stop!"

Uchiha looked back at her with annoyance. It was clear he just wanted to finish the job he started.

"Please... Stop..." Sakura pleaded desperately.

That's when the markings began to receded, and the boy seemed to lose the energy to stand. As he fell down, Sakura caught him easily.

"You are strong..." Dosu stated as he pulled his team's scroll out and held it up. "Sasuke-kun... We can't defeat you at this time. Here's a gift to you." He set the scroll down before heading towards Zaku. "Please let us leave. This may seem convenient, but there is something we must find out now." He used one arm to grab Zaku's waist, helping the boy to his feet while draping Zaku's arm over his shoulders. "But I promise you this... If there is another situation where we will meet in this exam, we will neither run nor hide."

Uchiha grit his teeth as he watched Dosu pick up Kin with his other arm.

"Wait!" Sakura demanded, causing the guy to look back at my sister. "Who is Orochimaru?! What did he do to Sasuke-kun?! Why to Sasuke-kun?!"

"I don't know... We were merely ordered to kill Sasuke-kun," Dosu answered before his eyes narrowed slightly, a few thoughts evidently flying around his skull. He then left with his two teammates.

Shikamaru-san and crew came out of the bushes and rushed for the people in the clearing. "Hey! Are you guys alright?! This sucks, but Ino, you take care of Ren and Lee!"

Ino headed straight for us, allowing me to fully relax myself.

"Welp, I'm gonna die shortly. Lee-senpai, it's been an honor," I said jokingly, thought a hint of seriousness probably got entangled in there somewhere along the way from my brain to my mouth.

He released a small whimper in reply, causing me to quickly apologize.

As Ino-chan finally met up with is, I looked at her and said, "Take care of Lee-senpai first. Bring him towards his teammates, and then take care of me."

The girl looked hesitant, but nodded after hearing Lee-senpai's groan of pain. The blonde quickly helped the boy to his feet before bringing him towards the tree where Neji and Tenten-san were situated.

I gave a deep sigh as I closed my eyes. I got comfortable on the ground and was ready to fall asleep.

That's when Uzumaki-kun yelled, "Everyone, hide! No, get down now! Where did that guy go?!"

Idiot, I internally scolded.

After a few seconds of relative peace, the idiot began to yelled once more. "Oh! Sakura-chan!"

"What?" Sakura asked as the boy charged towards her.

"Sakura-chan - your hair...!" The blonde yelled.

"Oh! You mean this..." My twin trailed off before feeling the hair she had just cut. "Just trying to change my look! An image change! I like it longer, but... You know, in this forest it can get in the way."

"Ahhhh... I see," Uzumaki-kun said, buying her lie easily. He then looked towards Shikamaru-san and Chouji-san. "By the way, why are you guys here?"

"Man... Explaining to you is a waste of my time," Shikamaru-san complained.

"Everyone came to save us," Sakura answered, making me smirk softly.

She's hiding her feelings again. And she think I'm bad, I thought.

Tenten-san jumped down from the branch and landed in front of Ino-chan and Lee-senpai. "I'll take it from here. Please bring Ren over next." She got ahold off Lee-senpai before shaking him back of forth rapidly. "Snap out of it! Lee!"

The black-eyed boy was dropped to the ground as he looked up in confusion. "Tenten, why are you here?"

"We came to save you!" Tenten-san replied as she kneeled down.

"Hey. Where are the otonins?" He asked as looked around.

"That Sasuke kid drove them off," she answered.

The two looked over as Lee-senpai muttered, "I see..."

"Why did you break the plan and act alone?" Tenten-san questioned. "Plus you are all beaten up."

"Sakura-san was in trouble... And as a man..." Lee-senpai trailed off before his head suddenly shot up. "Wh-where is Ren-kun?!"

I help my thumb up as Ino-chan brought me over to Tenten-san. "Alive. Not quite kicking... But alive nonetheless."

"You two are such idiots!" Tenten-san scolded as she looked between us.

"Haha... I can't argue with you there," Lee-senpai agreed as he pulled his legs to his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs as he rested his chin down on his knees.

"Ohh! It's Thick-Brow!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he came over and pointed at Lee-senpai.

"How dare you be rude to Lee-san?!" Sakura yelled as she punched Uzumaki-kun across the face, sending him flying.

"Damn straight!" I added in as I crossed my arms.

"Your bandages are all dirty! When was the last time you changed them?! And where is your shirt?!" Tenten-san scolded as I was sat down next to her.

"I need a change of bandages for sure. As for my shirt..." I trailed off as I weakly pointed towards the direction it was probably in. "A giant dead snake is laying on it."

"Do I even want to know?" She mumbled before shaking her head. She unwrapped my chest before frowning at the mix of fresh and dry blood. She pulled out her water canteen as she leaned me back a bit. The brunette dumped her water on my chest before extending her hand back.

Neji jumped down before handing her a clean cloth. Ah yes, the boy who had almost everything in that back pouch of his. No one knew how, but somehow he had practically everything his teammates needed stuffed into the pouch of his...

She wiped my chest off before gasping. Her brown eyes held horror as she looked down at the gash on my chest. "Th... There's no way... How are you even alive right now?"

I grinned at her before lifting up a thumb. "They say all the good people die first. I'm an asshole, so I'd naturally be the last to die from something like this."

"This is serious! I can see some of your ribs!" Tenten-san yelled at me before turning her head to Neji. "I need you to hold him down."

"Uh, can you not?" I asked as Neji went to my other side.

He glared down at me before using all of his strength to hold me down.

I looked between them nervously as Tenten-san pulled out a needle with a metal wire attached. "We both know you can't stitch for shit. Please, for kami-sama's sake, don't even try. Just bandage me, or I swear-" I cut myself off with a screech as she put a knee on my gut.

The weapons expert began to stitch my chest closed with her lack-luster sewing skills. She ignored my attempts to flail as well as my screams as she continued on with her work.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuckity fuck fuck! Let me go! I'm gonna seriously do something! Fucking fuck! You can't stitch for shit, bitch!" I screamed as my eyes darted around.

"Be a masochist, and suck it up," Tenten-san demanded as beads of sweat began to run down her face.

"It doesn't hurt! I just know you're fucking it up! I've seen you try to stitch before, and you fucking can't!" I yelled at her before coughing up a bit of blood. "Shit..."

"It's because you're squirming. Stop it already," Neji commanded as his lavender eyes narrowed a bit more at me.

"Do they do this often?" Uzumaki-kun mumbled.

"Only once or twice after he's done something extraordinarily stupid," the brown-eyed girl answered before pulling out a kunai. She cut the wire off and got off of me. "Okay, now I'll bandage you."

"Fuck you," I snapped as Neji released me.

He didn't verbally reply as he pulled his water canteen out. He shoved the thing's opening into my mouth before demanding, "Drink it all."

"Good idea," Tenten-san praised as she pulled some bandages out of her pouch. She began to wrap my chest up as Neji practically attempted to murder me.

As I was forced to drink all of his water, I couldn't help but curse out everything in my mind. I had bad stitching, my body was hurt all over, and I still had to go tell a few people about Orochimaru sneaking in and trying to kill a few genin.

"Okay. He's been hydrated," Neji stated as he pulled his water canteen away. He then slapped away my arm, which had tried to smack him.

Tenten-san nodded in approval as she finished wrapping up my chest. "His wound has been addressed."

"Sakura-san," Lee-senpai said, gaining my, as well as my twin's, attention. "Konoha's Lotus blooms twice... The next time we meet, I will be a stronger man. I promise."

"Yeah!" Sakura replied as she gave him a closed-eye smile.

"Hey, Sakura! Over here!" Ino-chan yelled, catching my sister's focus. "I'll straighten out your hair!"

Sakura gave a smirk as she replied, "Please..."

I sighed in relief as the two seemed to talk a few things out. "Ah, I'm so tired..."

"Then sleep, idiot. You need to rest and get all your blood and chakra back. I'm surprised you haven't died from chakra exhaustion yet," Tenten-san scolded, making me purse my lips.

"What was I supposed to do? Let my sister die?" I mumbled bitterly.

She punched my head and yelled, "Well, what good would you do dead?! Think before you act!"

"Ugh, yes Kaa-san," I muttered as I looked away with a glare.

"Enough. Let's go. We've wasted enough time here," Neji interjected as he stood up. "Lee, Tenten - We're moving out."

The other two nodded before Team Gai departed from the clearing.

I sighed as I laid down on my back. "Sakura! Find me a shelter and leave me there!"

"What are-"

"This is where I stop helping you and vice versa. The worst of the danger is over, something I'm willing to bet on. So you and your team must prove yourself. The same goes for me. Don't forget to this is still a test." I opened my eyes and looked at her. A smirk crawled onto my lips once I saw her determined look.

Sakura straightened up and yelled, "Of course! You better pass!"

"You too!" I replied as my smirk widened.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Ugh, I'm still tired, but I've been resting for the past six hours. It's the middle of the night, meaning most people won't be in my way, so... With a groan, I got off of my ass and teleported to my two buried scrolls.

Over the two buried scrolls sat a log with a message carved into the park.

I squinted my eyes at the message and mumbled, "Duckass kissing your sis-" I shoved the log with a small yell, forcing it a few meters away. With a aloud huff, I carefully dug the scrolls up, shoved them into my back pouch, and then teleported to the seal my kage bunshin had previously made on a tree right next to the tower.

Hey, jump through a window.

I narrowed my eyes for a moment, honestly debating if I should jump through the window. I eventually shrugged and Tarzan-ed my ass through a window on a higher-up floor, because why not? "I made it!"

The people in the room all looked over at me as several ANBU members brought out weapons and aimed them towards certain kill spots.

"Well... This is awkward..." I noted aloud as I put my hands up in mock surrender.

Hokage-sama motioned for the ANBU members to back down. "Ah, Ren. I was wondering when you'd-"

"I have several not-nice words for you, old man!" I interrupted as I pointed at the Hokage's face. "Who the fuck let's an S-Rank pedophile-acting motherfucking criminal into their village?! Do your guards not understand their damn jobs?!"

The door suddenly burst open as Anko and a few others entered the room.

"We heard the window crash and screaming! What's-" Anko cut herself off before pointing at me. "How did you get up here?! We have people at every entrance waiting for you!"

I hesitantly pointed my thumb over my shoulder at the broken window.

"Who breaks through a window to get into a place to clearly has doors?!" She yelled at me, making me raise a brow.

"Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" I asked, earning a sharp glare. I then brushed her worry off and sat down on the table in room. "I'm sorry, but, you see, I've had a very stressful day. Some snake-like dickhead decided to sneak into the chunin exams, tried to kill me, did a weird jutsu to one of my teammates-"

I cut myself off before looking at Hokage-sama. "Uzumaki Naruto... He's the host of the Kyuubi, right? The one the attacked our village twelve years ago? You guys should probably do something about the large-ass seal because Orochimaru did something to it."

I then cleared my throat and continued on with my original pity-party. "Anyway, Orochimaru also did something the Uchiha Sasuke - something about giving power and sharingans being better than Itachi's even though everyone here knows that Itachi's sharingan is significantly more dangerous than Sasuke's."

"Did he bite Sasuke?" Anko asked as she slammed her hands onto the other side of the table.

I gave a small shrug. "No clue. I passed out before that. If he did bite my teammates, than he got his left kidney stabbed beforehand." I raised up my thumbs, but she was unaffected.

"Did any strange markings appear on Sasuke? Or better yet - is he still alive?" The woman pressed.

"Oh, yeah. Duckass is alive. After he woke up, he gave off some really dark chakra. He held some physical strength he hadn't had before, which is probably connected to the strange markings. I probably could make a seal for it later... Well, if someone hadn't insisted that I lose the equipment to make my seals." I gave a glare to the old man before looking back at the woman. "So if you know about the markings, I'm assuming you know all about Orochimaru and his weird jutsus. Were you a student?"

"This isn't about me," she growled at me, confirming my suspicions.

"Well, then I don't need to explain it if you already know about it." I waved the subject off before moving on. "Otogakure... Orochimaru has strong connections to it. The three shinobi that came from that village were under orders from Orochimaru to kill Sasuke. They were beaten as a group effort between Rock Lee, Haruno Sakura, Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke, who finished things off, and I. They left after their group leader, Dosu, handed over his team's scroll and gathered his teammates, claiming that he had to check on something. He probably realized he was nothing but a disposable pawn to Orochimaru, something that wasn't really worth dying to..."

"You're going to explain everything in details! If Sasuke really did wake up and have the curse seal activated, how did you stop him?!" Anko yelled at me.

I gave a impish grin. "Even though Hokage-sama revoked two certain seals and their backups, he didn't revoke my other seals." I pulled out the large seal I had as my smirk widened. "This little baby really fucks up someone's chakra control. It's made even worse if it's placed on your head, which it was for Sasuke. You see, the first and second gate is located in the brain, so it makes it easy to chain everything up when you put the seal there..." I realized no one had any fucking idea what I was talking about and sighed. "Alright, chakra. Do you all know about that?"

Everyone gave me an unimpressed look.

"Just making sure. My one teammate still believes it's pronounced catra and that he has mastery over it," I said as I looked away.

"Are... Are you serious?" An ANBU member asked hesitantly.

"Dead serious. He's the team idiot for a reason." I gave a deep sigh before straightening up. "Alright, so the chakra system is intertwined with with your internal organs. Now then, everyone has something called the hachimon. They are eight different "gates" of chakra. The hachimon are eight specific tenketsu on a person's chakra pathway system which limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body. The basis for the idea of the chakra gates comes from the body's limits on the functions within it. This makes the body much weaker, but it keeps the body from expiring too soon. By undergoing intense training, one can learn how to open these gates, allowing the user to surpass their own physical limits at the cost of extreme damage to their own body.

"Now, kaimon, located in the brain, removes the restraints of the brain on the muscles so 100% of the user's strength can be used whereas normally, a person can only use 20% of their muscles' strength to keep them from disintegrating. Kyūmon, also located in the brain, forcibly increases the user's physical strength and temporarily re-energises the body. You getting it so far?"

Anko and a few others nodded in approval.

"Great. So the chakra that Uchiha gave out was quite abundant, especially considering the amount of chakra he was able to give off prior. I figured at least one of his gates had somehow activated themselves, which helped add to his power level and strength, which should have been at a minimum after fighting with Orochimaru and having a seal suddenly given to him." I held my chin for a moment as I considered my next words carefully.

"What is it?" An ANBU member questioned.

"I'm trying to think about the best way to word this without seeming like a complete and utter asshole," I replied as my eyes narrowed at the floor slightly.

"Just give it as brutally as possible," Anko instructed.

I took I a deep breath through my nose as I placed the palms of my hands together. "Uchiha Sasuke..." I pointed my hands towards Anko as I closed my eyes and finished the sentence, "...is a little fucking bitch compared to the rest of his clan, even though they're all technically dead. I know that both from my experience with them as a child, and from being his teammate. His body may be able to handle whatever Orochimaru did to him, but his mind can't. Even though he had no previous psychological tendencies before, he took great joy in harming his opponents earlier today with brutal actions. His smirk was malicious, and his eyes held satisfaction in hearing his enemy scream in pain - pain that he caused."

I opened my eyes as I looked at Hokage-sama and the proctor seriously. "He's willing to go after Orochimaru for power. He made that evident earlier today. If Orochimaru ever does show up again, Sasuke is bound to chase after him in the hopes of getting the power required to kill Itachi."

"Are you 100% sure?" Anko asked.

"I'm willing to bet on it, yes," I replied as I crossed my legs. I rested my elbow on my thigh and placed my cheek in the palm of my hand. "Though, the main thing about all of this is why Orochimaru decided to come after Sasuke. If he's a legendary sannin, then Itachi really should be someone he can beat. However, if Orochimaru is in a state where he can't overcome Itachi, that leaves us with one of two scenarios."

I lifted up my free hand before extending out my index finger. "One - Itachi is stronger than anyone else realizes. His sharingans may hold a secret no one else knows about, making it so even a sannin can't defeat him.

"Or maybe two - Orochimaru isn't strong enough to defeat Itachi. If he isn't strong enough, then perhaps he has some kind of bad injury or the like. Thinking about his age... He should be around fifty, right? Fighting against Itachi, who is around 18 right now, probably wouldn't be an easy task, no matter how powerful he is. His body would be warn down a bit from his fighting, but... Hm..."

I closed my eyes once again as I tapped my forehead. "Strength, chakra reservoirs, stamina- No, perhaps I should change my angle... Flexibly, range of motions, agility, resilience- Ah, of course. That's where the problem comes in. Hm, perhaps the Edo Tensei. No, there weren't any physical signs of such on his body. But there's no way he could have something else at his disposal- Ah, that's a lie. Experimentation and observation would surely lead to a loophole after so many years." I gave a loud, slightly annoyed hum as my brow furrowed. "I'm missing something..."

Someone suddenly smacked my chest, causing me to shoot up with an internal banshee screech. "He snapped out of it."

"We can see that," Anko snapped at the ANBU member before watching me laugh and cry as I keeled over and held my chest carefully. "Oi! Brat! What there hell were you rambling on about?!"

I shakily held up my index finger as I spat out a bit of blood on the table. I then sat up while giving a small groan. "Okay... You're all assholes..."

"You wouldn't get out of your own head," the woman said dismissively.

"Sure, whatever," I grumbled as I finally got myself under control. "Okay, so the human body naturally starts going downhill after 35 to 40. Even if he does stay physically active and still trains, he shouldn't be able to move around considering how muscles naturally start to deteriorate, along with several other organs. Besides, being a shinobi would guarantee several injuries along the way that would make it harder for him to bounce back from such battles, regardless of what your age is. When we battled, it seemed as though he was still a teenager with how he could constantly be filled with energy and chakra. It was as though I was fighting against someone in their prime, and not a fifty-year-old man..." I stopped talking upon noticing the grave looks on Hokage-sama's and Anko's faces.

"I'm assuming that you're both thinking about possible actions he could have taken that would correspond with information both of you have gathered about him over the years. Of course, judging by how solemn you two look, I'm sure you've narrowed your possibilities down to a select few answers, none of which are pleasing in the slightest."

"There are, as you have guessed, a few things that Orochimaru could have done to get such amazing bodily reactions," Hokage-sama admitted. "We have nothing but speculations, however, so please continue on with your original observations."

I blinked at him once before letting the subject go. "Okay. So before I go any further, let me explain the entirety of the story from the beginning. My hunches about Shiore- er- Orochimaru not being who he claimed was when we were walking towards the 44th training ground. As he walked besides me, he started rambling off several things about my chakra reservoirs, him being about to see through my lies easily, and me possibly being an Uzumaki even though I clearly don't have red hair-"

"Hold on. Why'd he compare you to an Uzumaki?" Anko interrupted, like an asshole.

"Because the Uzumakis are known for two things. The first would be for their longevity, which is a factor that eventually lead to Uzumakis being spread out across the world. The second would be the mastery of seals, something that I'm admittedly good at considering my age and familial background." I then glared at Anko and asked, "Now would you please let me get everything out there before you interrupt again?"

The purplenette gave a harsh glare, but backed off nonetheless.

"As he continued to speak, I realized that he had intelligence about certain things that genin normally don't have access to. For example, what normal genin knows about the hiraishin jutsu? Furthermore, he spoke about it as if he was someone significantly older looking down on a child. "There's no way a boy your age could perform the hiraishin jutsu." That's exactly what he said. That's not something a teenager would say, especially not in this time and age." I gave a deep sigh before shaking my head. "In any case, nothing more happened with him until the exam started, or at least nothing that Anko doesn't know about since she exchanged words with him. Uh, let's see..."

"One second. How exactly do you know about that jutsu?" The proctor asked.

I stared at her blankly before finally saying, "...You'd rather not know..."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as if challenging me.

"You guys really need better security on your scrolls in Hokage-sama's office," I said before clearing my throat loudly. "Anyway, in the forest, my teammates came up with a password that'd allow them to tell who each other was. Of course, the password was set up so that two specific people would properly remember the password. I can tell my teammates by their chakra, so I was made an exception. Well, I also have quite the sass without Sado sealed, but we aren't here to discuss that-"

"What is Sado? Why is it sealed inside of you?" Anko interrupted with her hands slamming down onto the table.

"Uh..." My mind blanked as I hesitantly looked over at Hokage-sama for some help.

The old man gave a small sigh before facing the woman. "Ren here believes that he must have a part of his personality sealed away in order to ensure the safety of others. That's all I shall tell you for now."

"Hold on. Why isn't it sealed up then?" She pressed.

"Because the Council of Elders and Hokage-sama decided it was a good idea," I sassed as I gave my jazz hands to add to the sarcasm. "And they also decided it was a good idea for me to take the exams alone! Who fucking does that to a rookie shinobi?! Okay, my intelligence may be slightly higher than normal, but who the fuck thinks it's still a good idea?! I'm from a civilian household, not a high-end shinobi clan! I should be held back based on my pedigree alone!" I stopped my flailing upon noticing that practically everyone was sweatdropping at my actions.

"You're a Haruno... Are you 100% sure?" Anko interrogated.

"I've seen my birth certificate, and I can say with 100% certainty that I'm strictly Haruno blood. There's no shinobi blood in my veins unless it's from my ancestors' ancestors, or something," I said before clearing my throat. "Anyway, why am I taking this exam alone?"

"Kakashi handed in his mission report, and something was really emphasized in it. You said that you had your sadism sealed away, and that's the reason you were able to kill so many rouge shinobi... singlehandedly." Hokage-sama looked at me seriously, causing me to look away with a click of my tongue.

"I was hoping he would drop it. I was actually fooled by his words. Then again, a ninja's speciality should be deceit." I gave a forced chuckle as annoyance showed clear on my face. "The bastard probably put emphasis on it after our little chat two weeks after the bridge battle. He worked with Itachi, so I suppose the signs of someone secluding themselves was obvious to him. Then again, his old teammates, or at least one of them, died to protect him. Surely he knew about seclusion from his own past." I gave a hum as I rubbed my chin, my brow furrowed slightly.

"How exactly do you know those things about him?" The old man questioned.

"Because unlike the rest of you, I know ways to get him to talk," I replied with another devious grin, "I'm a manipulative little shit, and that's a skill many people lack. I'm a master at twisting words around. Combining that with my IQ, I'm great at coming to correct conclusions about certain subjects even though I only have limited knowledge from previous discussions."

"If that's the case, how can we trust you?" An ANBU member questioned, making me roll my eyes.

"Because telling you the truth will clue me in to more knowledge. Based on the reactions of the people in this room, I can make proper inferences about several subjects that will be important for the future." I then waved everything off.

"Back to what I was saying about the password: The team idiot was naturally expected to not remember it. He was the weakest link, so it was obvious someone would try and switch out with him. The girl of the team was smart, yes, but her personality made it clear who she was. As for Duckass, he had a certain attitude about him that made it obvious who he was. I mean, seriously, how moody can you be before puberty technically smacks you in the face? And he's not even going to have mood swings from the menstrual cycle." I gave a deep sigh before shaking my head. "Okay, so the group was split up by Orochimaru, and I decided to go after his teammates. I sent a kage bunshin-"

"How do you know that technique?" Hokage-sama interrupted with a small glare.

I deadpanned at him before facepalming. "Dude, bro, sir, my man.. It's literally a one-seal jutsu. If Uzumaki-kun can do it, I'm going to be an expert at it. Besides, Kakashi-sensei also knows how to do it. If two others in the team know how to do it, I'm going to throw myself at the jutsu to get it mastered. That's just how I work."

I then cleared my throat before straightening up. "Okay, so I sent a kage bunshin ahead of me to make an attempt at killing the teammates, figuring that it'd be a good way to find out their techniques and then attack with better results. However, that doppelganger easily killed both of them, revealing that they were made of mud. I was going to stay back until my one clone pointed out that they weren't reforming. I jumped down to get a grasp on the situation, and that's when I noticed that their faces weren't returning to mud."

I shivered in disgust as I remembered what it looked like. "What kind of jutsu exists that can remove someone's face? And who would wear that person's face? How much of a sick fuck do you have to be to do that? I mean, I understand killing them and bringing their body back to your village to get information out of their bodies and minds, but wearing their faces?"

"Just move on," Anko demanded.

"Okay, so I sealed their faces in my scroll and had my shadow clone take it to you guys. I also told them to talk to you guys about it, but that fucker just threw it through a window with a bullshit explanation on some bark written in its own blood." I sigh at its actions before Anko came over and punched the back of my head.

"Why the hell didn't you walk it through the front door?!" She demanded to know.

"Because like any reasonable person with a low chakra reservoir, I decided to make sure it got to you. It was better to actually get to you instead of just hoping," I explained before thinking, And I didn't want to disqualified. My shadow clone decided it was the best option to listen to Sado instead of their common sense-

Wait... Oh my gods... What if Sado is actually my common sense, and I've just been sealing it away this whole time. Wait- No. No one's common sense tells them to jump through a window... Right? Is it my anti-common sense then? Or is it simply my sadism? Why have I never thought about this before? I mean, I know that a portion of my smarts comes from his side, especially since my analytical skills got better after unsealing him, but have I never actually stopped to equate how many things are actually attributed to him? My world is coming undone.

"Get a stretcher! Lay him down and put pressure on his chest!" Someone yelled, snapping me out of my thoughts.

My mouth was filled up with a metallic taste as my vision blurred, occasionally being dotted in black. I tried blinking my problems away as the world began to swirl around me. As a cold feeling filled my back, I shakily moved my hand towards my chest. My wrist was caught, and I looked towards the person who grabbed it, only to see nothing.

"He needs to be moved to the medical bay immediately! You! Summon his sensei and get them here stat!" Someone else ordered loudly.

What's wrong with me? My injury shouldn't be that bad. It's been a while since I felt some pain from it. The wound should have at least started scabbing over, right? I thought as I closed my eyes and allowed my body to relax.

About that... Remember when I took over? Yeah, you're fucked. You're gonna need to be in the medical bay for a week at least.

My face scrunched up with annoyance. Please... Jump up your own ass and die.

We're still the same person, he pointed out.

I internally sighed as I was being carried through the tower quickly. I opened my eyes, only to see nothing but darkness. Yeah... Definitely fucked. Welp, you know the expression. When life gives you lemons-

You squeeze lemon juice into life's eyes before just throwing all the damn lemons at it! We don't want it's fucking lemons!

I deadpanned. This is why people think I have issues...

...I'm not apologizing.

This is going to be a long night... I concluded with a deadpanned expression.

"You summoned me, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked seriously as he stood before Konoha's leader.

"Not technically, but it's a good thing you're here," the old man replied before motioning for the silver-haired man to follow after him.

"Did something happen sir?" The sharingan-wielder questioned as he followed after his superior.

"Indeed. One of your students has made it to the tower," the Hokage stated as he lead the jônin to the medical bay.

"Isn't that a good thing?" He asked, confusion just barely tinting his voice.

"It would be if he hadn't started bleeding profusely from his chest," Hiruzen answered with a grave tone.

Kakashi tensed up before a single person came to mind. "Haruno Ren... Correct?"

"That's right," the Kage confirmed before stopping outside of a certain door. "You're only allowed to look."

Kakashi's brow furrowed before he gave a nod. "O-of course, sir."

The Hokage nodded back in approval. He then opened the door and stood aside, motioning for the younger of the two to enter.

The black-eyed jônin froze in the doorway upon seeing the critical state his student was in. After the first few seconds of shock wore off, he shot over to the white-haired boy's side. He carefully examined his genin before looking over to his leader worriedly. "How did this happen? Who did this? Will he be alright-" Kakashi cut himself off when Hiruzen raised his hand up.

The Hokage entered the room before closing the door firmly behind him. "What is discussed in this room must not be spread around any further as to not cause panic."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied as he stood up straight.

The old man lowered his hand before walking over to the other side of Ren's bed, his hands behind his back. "Ren fought with a dangerous enemy that slipped into the chunin exams - a criminal of incredible power. He did so in order to protect the rest of his team, even though he is technically supposed to take the exam alone."

"Which enemy slipped in under our watch?" The man who covered most of his face pressed.

Hiruzen looked Kakashi dead in the eyes as he said, "Orochimaru."

The jônin's face remained neutral, though on the inside he flinched. His eyes slowly drifted down to his student as several questions began to form in his head.

Ren seemed to be sleeping peacefully with an oxygen mask on his face. His chest was bandaged up tightly as neat stitches laid below the white cloth. An IV was attached to his left arm, and a finger pulse oximeter was around his left index finger. His vitals were displayed on a nearby monitor, most of which were lower than a normal human's.

"Is he going to live?" Kakashi finally asked, hesitance just barely perceptible in his voice.

"If he's determined enough, yes," the leader replied.

"I see... He fought with Orochimaru and ended up in this state." Kakashi lifted his head. "How are his teammates?"

"At the moment, they're still in the forest trying to complete the second exam. From what Ren has already told us, they should be alive and recovering from their attacks," Hiruzen answered.

"Attacks?" He repeated questioningly.

The Hokage nodded. "Yes, plural. After Orochimaru attacked his team, the Otogakure shinobi, who apparently follow orders from Orochimaru, went after his team. Ren intervened once again, and thus got into the state you see here."

Kakashi bit his lower lip as he looked down at his student again. "Will he have to give up being a shinobi?"

"No, but he will need to take it easy for quite a while. Injuries like those need time to heal, much time," the old man replied.

"How bad is it?" The silver-haired man requested to know.

"If you looked closely enough at the wound, you could see his ribs, which have scratches from the weapon used to slice him in such a manner. When he came in, there were badly done stitches that only made the injury worse. Combining that with the infection from not getting treated right away, and..." The man with liver spots on his face looked over at the other staidly. "It's a miracle he's even alive. Ren also had his chakra strained to the point of coma inducing if he so much as thinks about using some sort of jutsu."

"Is... Is there anything I can do?" The Hatake asked softly.

"All we can do is wait," Hiruzen replied, his eyes taking in the defeated look that the younger man held.

Kakashi's shoulders were sagged down as fear and sadness danced around in his eye. Thoughts of his old team swirled around his head; Obito's goofiness, Rin's determination, Minato's talent with seals... The man couldn't stand those links to Ren's own personality, so he shook his head, trying to get rid of them.

A harsh cough from Ren earned the immediate attention of both men in the room. His face was scrunched up in pain as his breath became a bit labored. The boy tried moving his body around, only to have the restraints on his been keep him from doing such. The white-haired boy released a small groan as he finally settled back down, his face slowly relaxing once again.

The sharingan user immediately looked to the old man. "Has he done that often? Are restraints really necessary-"

"I don't know, but from what I just saw, I think it's safe to assume he has the restraints on so he doesn't roll over in his sleep and mess up the equipment," Hiruzen interrupted.

Kakashi clenched his teeth as he looked back down at the boy. He finally just nodded his head and began walking towards the door.

"If you want to wait here for the rest of your team, you may," the Hokage said, making the jônin nod once again. As Hiruzen watched the younger man leave, he gave a small sigh. So long as this doesn't turn out like his old team did, everything should work itself out in the end.

Kakashi found himself a room that was empty as sat down while covering his face. He had gotten so used to Ren's constant bouncing back and sarcasm, the thought of losing that would be devastating. Even when Ren had begun to seal away more of himself, some of that still shined through at times, reassuring Kakashi that his team wouldn't fall apart.

But now, the future looked bleak. He wasn't sure he'd be able to recover that time. Even then, the last time the silver-haired man had to deal with such loss, he had changed the majority of his mannerisms to match his dead best friend's. When he lost Rin, he became emotionless. After he had lost his sensei, he completely shut himself away from the world, killing his own heart to become a brainless machine that'd simply complete orders. It took so long for him to recover, and even then, he wasn't perfect.

The future was definitely questionable at that point... For everyone.


	20. Chapter Twenty

My eyes snapped open as I took in a deep breath. I tried to sit up, only to be unable to. I gasped a few times as pain shot through my body. I flexed my hands while my eyes darted around. I felt myself start to panic before I released a scream.

A few people I didn't recognize came in, all of them shouting various things at each other and at me.

"Get away from me!" I yelled as they swarmed around me, their faces blurred as my eyes stung. "Get away! Get away! Get away!"

"He's hyperventilating!" Someone yelled.

I couldn't breathe properly, and my heart was squeezing tightly in my chest. I clenched my hands into fists as the people seemed to tighten their circle around me. Oh gods, I'm dying. It feels like I'm dying.

Of course, that's when I remembered why I really didn't like to go to hospitals.

"It's okay, Ren. The doctor here is just going to look at your boo-boo," Otou-san said as he motioned to the man that just entered the room.

I gave a small nod, quite shy at the time as a little four-year-old.

"May I see your leg?" The doctor asked with a kind smile as he took a seat in the rolling chair in the room. He moved the chair over to my bed, a little bit too close for my comfort.

I scooted away a bit before looking over at Otou-san for help.

The man sighed before pushing up his glasses. "Ren, show him your leg."

I frowned before looking back over at the man who I didn't know. I saw his patient smile and took in a small breath. I pulled up my right pant leg to show off the large cut I had, internally wincing as I did so.

His smile immediately dropped, and his brow furrowed. He moved in close and grabbed ahold of my leg, causing me to flinch. "This is a bad wound. Judging by the scabbing, I'd say you've had this at least for a week. But you've picked away the majority of the scabs."

"A week?! Ren, you said you got that earlier today!" Otou-san yelled at me, making me jolt.

"I- I just-" I cut myself off as I looked away from both of them. "Can I go now? I don't want to be here."

"You're going to need to stay for a while. Your cut is badly infected," the doctor said seriously as he leaned down to examine it closer.

"What's infected mean?" I asked nervously.

"There's some bad germs in there that we need to get out," he replied before pulling my pant leg up a bit more, only to freeze as he stared at my thigh. Horror covered his face as he muttered, "Is...? Is that what I think it is?"

I shoved his hands away before pulling my pant leg down. "I'm wonna go now!"

The doctor grabbed ahold of my arm and yelled for a few other people as Otou-san stood up worriedly.

"What's going on?" Otou-san asked the doctor with a furrowed brow.

"Sir, you're going to need to sit in the waiting room. Someone will come out to explain everything to you soon," the doctor said as he urged my father out of the room, leaving me surrounded by many people that I didn't know.

I felt tears prick my eyes as I hugged my legs to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my legs as my heart gave a painful squeeze. "Go away. Please go away."

"Show us your leg, sweetie," a woman urged as she reached for my leg.

I pulled my body back and winced at the feeling of pain shooting throughout my thigh. I felt my leg being grabbed ahold of and flailed in order to try and get free.

"Use the restraints!" A man ordered as he came in the room while putting on plastic gloves. "You! Get me all his medical files! We're taking him to surgery room #3!"

"It's not that bad!" I yelled at the man as I was forced to lay down on the bed they brought in the room with them.

"His femur is protruding from his skin. It's a miracle he's even alive right now," the woman from before whispered to the doctor, who nodded with a serious expression.

I tried wiggling free from the cloth they used to keep me in place, but to no avail. I began to breathe quicker as my stomach began to curdle. I felt like being sick as the room began to spin around me.

"He's starting to hyperventilate! Get him an oxygen mask!" Someone else yelled.

As tears burned my eyes, I released a silent scream. I felt like I was going to die, not that my four-year-old mind comprehended death or anything similar. I was having a panic attack as people swarmed around me and moved me around without my consent.

Ah, yes... One of my greatest fears, iatrophobia, formed on that day and solidified itself in my mind. Whether consciously or not, I always avoided doctors since that day and would fight my parents tooth and nail any other time I was forced to such a place.

All because I had broken my leg and didn't want to get in trouble for the actions I took to receive the injury.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to will those people away, only for their voices to continue entering my ears. I clenched my teeth as I tried calming myself down, only to get more panicked from the mere presence of those white-clothed individual.

"Ren!"

My eyes opened again as I looked around for the person that just called out my name.

"Sir, please get out-"

"Ren! You're okay!"

"K... Kakashi-sensei! Get... Get them to leave!" I yelled back to the man as my panic began to wane a bit.

"Why? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice getting a little closer.

"I... I have iatrophobia!" I replied as my eyes kept darting around. "I'm seriously afraid of these fucking doctors!"

"They only want to help," the silver-haired jônin stated as he finally finished shoving his way to my side.

"I don't care. I'm having a panic attack, and I need them to fucking leave," I hissed before taking in a deep breath. I winced as that breath hurt my lungs, as well as the rest of my chest.

"Are you sure it's just a panic attack?" Kakashi-sensei asked, his black eye filled with worry as he looked down at me.

I gave the tiniest nod possible due to the restraints doing their jobs well. "Yes, I'm willing to bet on it."

"I see." The man stood up fully and somehow managed to get everyone to leave while I calmed myself down. He soon closed and locked the door before returning to my side. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," I said as I forced a smile onto my lips, my eyes closed once again as I slowly convinced myself that I was fine. "Is Sakura here yet? How is she?"

"Geez," he muttered with a sigh before taking a seat. "She's still taking the exam. It's the last day of the survival test."

"Is that so?" I wasn't relieved, but, at the same time, I felt like a burden had been taken off of my shoulders. "Did you hear about the snake problem yet?"

"Yes, I've been told all about it. And since we're on the subject..." Kakashi-sensei trailed off before hitting my head so hard, my oxygen mask flew off. "Are you insane?! You have no hope of fighting someone like him! Why did you even try?! I heard that you've got the hiraishin jutsu almost perfected, so why didn't you take your teammates and run?! Do you think dying is funny?!"

I forced myself not to roll my eyes. "Look, it would have been pointless to even try. I can only teleport to places that have chakra seals. I couldn't have gone anywhere else, especially not when I only somewhat perfected the jutsu while on my way to the second part of the exam."

"So you fought Orochimaru on your own? What gave you the idea that it was the smart thing to do?" The teacher snapped at me.

That was definitely something that set me off. "Of course, I knew it wasn't the smart thing to do! What'd you want me to do?! Did you want me to shove Uchiha into his open embrace?! Give up without a fight?! What, huh?! My teammates can't fight someone like that! They're not advanced enough! He's S-rank for fuck's sake, and we're all taking the damn chûnin exams!"

"Why didn't you try to get the proctor?!" He yelled.

"Did you not understand what I just said about the seals?! And besides, what part of my teammates were depending on me didn't you understand?!" I yelled back, only to wince as pain filled up my chest again.

Kakashi-sensei immediately stood up as worry formed in his eyes. He lifted his hands up slightly, only to quickly draw them back as if I shocked him. The black-eyed man sat down and appeared to calm himself down for a moment or two.

I, meanwhile, took in steady breaths to ease myself back into a more docile state. I forced myself to relax a bit as I waited for him to continue on with the questions.

"Okay..." He finally said while cupping his mouth, his eye closed. He took in a deep breath through his nose before sitting up, his hands falling down to his lap. As that black eye of his opened, I saw frustration swimming around it. "Okay, so you were between a rock and a hard place when it came to Orochimaru. I understand that from your standpoint. What about the Otogakure three? Surely you would have known you hadn't had a chance with the injuries you already had."

"Ah, that..." I chuckled softly. "Well, you're right there. I knew I was going to fail, but I wanted to buy my teammates and Lee-senpai some time. You see, Sakura was the only one awake, as she was already pretty worn out from taking care of Uzumaki-kun and Uchiha all night. Lee-senpai, on the other hand, had just used the Primary Lotus, and he needed a few minutes to recover from straining his muscles to such an extent."

"So he took out one person, and you thought you could handle the other two?" Kakashi-sensei questioned.

"No. The one shinobi used a jutsu to make the earth into very soft dirt. That dirt caught the shinobi that had the lotus used on him, making the attack ineffective. I knew that I had to do something, so I..." I trailed off as I looked away, a sheepish grin forming on my face. "Well, after a few minutes of simple combat, I let Sado take control..."

"Take control? What do you mean by that?" The twenty-something year old asked, his brow furrowed.

"Okay, so Sado is a part of my personality, right? But he can also take control and stuff. I guess it's like D.I.D., but a bit more complicated than that," I tried explaining, only for him to be more confused.

"D.I.D.?" He repeated questioningly.

"Dissociative identity disorder, otherwise known as multiple personality disorder," I explained, allowing the silver-haired jônin to understand me ten times better. "Okay, so anyway, I gave Sado control of my body. Apparently, he decided it was a good idea to push my limits and chakra levels. He even had the audacity to open my first two chakra gates! Like, bitch who the fuck do you think you are?! You're gonna die, too!"

"You can open chakra gates?!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed, making me pause and look at him with a semi-surprised look.

"Uh..." I looked away as I answered, "No." I then looked back to see an unamused facial expression. "Shut up and let me finish." I then cleared my throat before continuing on. "After Sado did his thing, I was pretty much out of the race until adrenaline alone fuelled my body. I was somewhat content with laying against the tree I was thrown into until Lee-senpai was going to get badly injured."

He facepalmed and mumbled to himself, "Please don't be what I think it'll be."

"So I got up, ran over to that Dosu bitch, and performed my kuro hasu jutsu on him," I said, making him lift his head up.

"What jutsu is that? I've never heard of it," the man questioned.

"Oh, you remember that jutsu I used to knock out the long-haired Demon Brother from Kirigakure? Well that's a jutsu that I invented." I would have puffed out my chest in pride, but between the restraints and the fact my body still hurt like hell, that wasn't happening any time soon.

"You invented a jutsu?" Kakashi-sensei pressed, making me grin widely.

"Yes, I did. Now bow down and look at your god," I demanded jokingly.

"What? No way. I invented my own jutsu by the time I was your age, too," he replied, waving me off.

"Oh? You invented your own jutsu when you were six?" I asked with a cocky smirk, making him freeze for a second. I watched as he looked down at me with suspicion, my smirk widening. "Yeah, that's right. I invented a lethal jutsu when I was six. Top that."

"I keep forgetting how much of a delinquent you were," the man mumbled before shaking his head. "That doesn't matter right now. Continue on."

"Right. Lee-senpai convinced me to stop the jutsu before it could kill him, so he ended up being able to recover quickly. I mean, there are probably still more than a handful of lotuses in his lungs, but tamato-tomato." I gave a failed attempt at a shrug to help get my point across.

"So Dosu was going to kill me when Sakura stepped up to the plate. She tried outsmarting the the three of them, but ended up getting quite the beating. Just before Zaku could do the finishing move on her, Ino-chan, Shikamaru-san, and Choji-san stepped in to help. They used their Ino-Shika-Cho Formation to take out Kin, but Dosu and Zaku were unaffected by their attacks." I gave a dramatic expression. "Everything seemed bleak, like we were all going to die. But in that moment, the asshole of assholes showed up to grace everyone with his douchebag presence."

"Are you going to tell me who showed up, or are we going to keep this ball rolling?" The jônin asked with a deadpanned expression.

"It was Hyūga Neji," I answered before getting back to my story. "With his byakugan activated, he was able to intimidate the otonin and give Duckass just enough time to finally wake his ass up. Then Uchiha broke Zaku's arms and was totally going to do something worse to Dosu when Sakura, using my handy seal-"

"Excuse me?" Kakashi-sensei interrupted while glaring down at me.

"You just said Sado and Maso. You didn't specify that I had to hand over my other other seals," I said while giving him a pompous look that begged him to punch my face. I only got a smack, but it was good enough for me. "Yeah, so that baby was a chakra suppressant seal that I specially designed to work on practically everyone."

"Ren, this is why no one trusts you," the black-eyed individual grumbled as they looked at me with annoyance.

"I know. Anyway, Sakura managed to stop Duckass by slapping that seal on his forehead and asking politely, even though he clearly needed a smack to the face. So in the end, Dosu gathered his teammates and left like a bitch!" I grinned widely before quickly adding in, "Also, he left his team's scroll, allowing my sister to get the scroll they lost back."

"How'd they lose their scroll?" He inquired.

I shivered slightly in disgust. "Well, Orochimaru swallowed his, and then burned her team's, so we were literally left scroll-less."

"He swallowed it?" Kakashi-sensei repeated questioningly.

"Deep-throated that thing whole," I replied with a small nod.

"Shouldn't have asked," he told himself before motioning for me to go on.

"So Tenten-san and Neji stuck around to help Lee-senpai get his bearings. I mean, Tenten-san and Neji also tried murdering me, one right after the other, but they failed." I saw the concern and horror on his face that was practically begging me to elaborate. "Okay, so Tenten-san tried sewing my wound closed, right? Everyone knows she's an awful sower, but she insisted on stitching me up anyways. And then, right afterwards, Neji shoved his water canteen in my mouth and tried drowning me! But I survived because I'm awesome."

I cleared my throat before pushing those thoughts away. "Okay, so then I had Sakura hide me away in some hidden location until I could gather up the majority of my strength. Once that I was done, I gathered myself two scrolls and showed up here to warn everyone about the pedophile snake motherfucker."

He facepalmed and mumbled, "Of course you would call him that. He's an S-Rank criminal that could kill you, and you still insult him."

"It's a specialty," I explained while waving him off despite the fact my wrist was restrained, meaning my hand could only flap around a little bit. "And so, you know everything now."

"I can forgive the Orochimaru fight, and I suppose I can forgive you for your idiotic fight against the otonin, but..." He trailed off as he glared down at me. "What made you think it was a good idea to act like a smart-ass to Morino Ibiki?"

I immediately started snickering. "That was really fun. I got to mock Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san in front of everyone with no repercussions."

"You're looking at your repercussions," Kakashi-sensei corrected, making me pout slightly.

"Aw, come it. It wasn't that bad," I said.

"And by that bad, you mean you literally told everyone that you were currently holding a betting pot?" He interrogated, his hands on his hips.

"Ugh! Okaa-san, leave me alone!" I whined as I closed my eyes as turned my head away from him a bit. My cheeks were immediately grabbed with his left hand, and my head was turned towards the silver-haired man, who glared into my soul.

His grip on my face tightened as he said, "You will not be holding any more betting pots. Once Raidō gets back, I expect you to throw that pot at his face."

"Mhm," I agreed, making him release me. "So is that the only thing you're upset about?"

"Pretty much. I know you can't live without sassing someone at least once an hour." He narrowed his black eye down at me. "You probably do it in your sleep, too."

"You're probably right," I agreed with a nod. "So... Can you free me?"

"Nope. You're going to deal with the repercussions of your stupid decisions," he stated as he stood up.

"Um, before you go... Just..." I blushed in embarrassment as I looked away. "Um... Just... Just ruffle my hair once, and say it'll all be okay."

Kakashi-sensei blinked in surprise before immediately softening up. "Sure." He reached over and ruffled my hair. With a closed-eye smile, he said, "It'll all be okay."

"Thank you," I mumbled as I closed my eyes.

"Of course. I'll be back later," he promised as he put my oxygen mask back on me properly. He then took his leave with a relaxed posture.

He'll probably think that I'm not going to cause any trouble. I waited until his footsteps faded before smirking widely. "This is perfect practice. Let's see if I can teleport without making any handsigns."

It took a few long hours, but I finally managed to teleport myself to the seal I had outside of the tower. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to do once you have everything down though.

I teleported back to my room and gathered all of my belongings before teleporting back outside again. I walked in through the main entrance, only to see a large poster on the wall that had a word missing from the text. I pulled out my scrolls and looked at the wall with narrowed eyes. If I get failed for this...

Pussy!

I quickly opened the scrolls, only to look down in confusion at the seals. I quickly put two and two together and threw the scrolls at the ground. I watched as a puff of smoke engulfed the scrolls and extended upwards until a body appeared.

"You!"

"Fuck!" I cursed as I jumped back from Kotetsu-san, who swung his large-ass conch shell mace at me. "It was a joke, I swear!"

"You...! In front of all those people...! I'll kill you for that!" Kotetsu-san declared before I held my hand up, making him pause in his tracks.

"Quick question before that. What the hell is that poster on the wall supposed to mean?" I asked while pointing to the poster behind him.

He paused and looked over his shoulder. "Oh yeah." He cleared his throat and put his weapon away. "Okay, before that... At the end of this second test, it's set up so we chunins meet up with the exam takers, and I was forced to be the one to greet you."

"Forced?" I repeated questioningly.

"Shut up," he demanded as he pulled out a pocket watch. He checked the time before grumbling, "I can't believe you actually cut something this close to the wire."

"I was strapped to a hospital bed," I replied with a small shrug, earning a raised brow. "It's a long story."

The member of the Hagane clan gave a simple nod before brushing it off. "You passed the second test. Congrats, brat."

I grinned as I put my hands behind my head. "Heh. In any case, I'm assuming that me opening a scroll before I got here would have meant you doing something to ensure I couldn't pass."

"As sharp as always," Kotetsu-san praised. "As you probably have figured out, this test's rules are set up to test your ability to perform missions correctly. So if you were to break these rules and open the scrolls..."

"Just tell me already," I demanded, not at all happy with the dramatic tension he was trying to create.

"Those exam takers would be put in a condition of unconsciousness for the remainder of the test period. Those were my orders," he explained.

"Yeah, yeah. That's great and all, but that still doesn't explain what that poster means," I pointed out, causing him to punch the top of my head.

"I was getting there! Don't interrupt me!" Kotetsu-san commanded before huffing. "This is the motto of the chûnin, as written by Hokage-sama."

"Ah, I see," I muttered, already figuring everything out.

"Yep. In this paragraph, "heaven" refers to the human mind, and "earth" refers to the human body. "If you lack heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared. If you lack earth, run in the fields, seek advantages." So basically, if you lack brains, you're supposed to train in knowledge and prepare yourself for the missions. If you lack body strength, then you must continue to train hard. And if you have both heaven and earth, you can succeed in even the most dangerous mission," he rambled on, not filling in the blank word for me.

"Okay, and the most important part?" I questioned as I motioned for him to continue on.

Kotetsu-san grumbled before picking up one of the scrolls. "So... The words that represent a chunin, the "person" word from the scrolls goes there. The last sentence is "These rules will guide a person's extremes." These five days of survival were to test the exam taker's basic abilities needed to become a chunin, and you successfully passed that." He then mumbled softly to himself, "All on your own no less."

"What was that?" I asked innocently despite hearing what he said and already planning how I'd get revenge.

"Nothing. Pay attention to my explanation. Chûnins are at the rank of team captain. You have the responsibility of guiding a team. The knowledge, stamina, and inner wisdom - all are needed for your duties." The black-eyed man pointed down at me dramatically. "Your job is to challenge the next step with this chûnin motto in mind. That's all I have to say about that."

"Great. Then go find your boyfriend and have fun together," I said while waving him off before running as like my ass was on fire.

"Reeen!" Kotetsu-san yelled after me, making me laugh victoriously.

As I ran through the tower, my nose eventually caught the scent of something glorious. I paused in my tracks before following my nose, throwing the doors to a certain room open. I looked down at the buffet and immediately allowed myself to salivate all over the place. "Oh my gods, it's literally been five days since I've eaten anything. This is the best day of my life."

"Heh! And here I thought you'd show up sooner," Shikamaru-san greeted as he sat down at one of the tables.

"I got here on the second night, actually," I replied as I walked my ass over to the buffet and got myself some over everything.

"Then how have you not eaten?" He questioned.

"Oh, I was literally strapped to a hospital bed because some bitch tried stitching closed my wound, but fucked it up even worse." I glared over at Tenten-san, who glared back at me.

"At least I tried," she shot back defensively.

"Mhm," I sassed as I took the closest seat to me. "And just about killed me too. If I had lost even an millilitre more of blood, my ass would have been dead."

The brunette shakily pointed to the person sitting next to me, a slightly worried look on her face.

"What?" I snapped before looking at the ginger that was glaring daggers into my soul. "Hey, you weren't saving this seat for Puppet Bitch or anything, right? Good." I turned my head back towards Tenten-san while stuffing my face. "Not to mention the fact Neji tried drowning me! I'm still angry at you two!"

"You're an idiot," Neji criticized with his eyes narrowed.

"Bite me," I demanded as I pointed at him. I quickly chugged my tea before shoving more food in my mouth. "Where the fuck is Lee-senpai?"

"He's training. The fool had just enough time to recover from his injuries, and now he's running around the tower." Neji shook his head with his arms crossed.

"Lee-senpai is so cool," I gushed, earning a glare from Neji, who was always on his man period. I then realized that I literally felt like death was sitting next to me, so I looked over at the little red-head.

He was glaring at me fiercely, his sea foam green eyes showing me all the plans he had for murdering me.

"Sup?" I asked before shoving another dango into my mouth.

"What's wrong with you?" Gaara growled, clearly an asshole himself.

"I'm a sadistic asshole with large hints of masochism and a side of dark humor," I replied honestly before grinning. "So how many babies does it take to paint a wall?"

He glared even harder at me while his two teammates motioned for me to shut up and leave.

"It depends on how hard you throw them," I said with a small chuckle. I rested my cheek in my palm as I rested my elbow on the table. With a wink, I asked, "Get it?"

"I'm going to kill you," the ginger threatened.

I gave a laugh. "You'll have to catch me first!" I then teleported over to the banquet and watched as sand poured out of his gourd. I hummed as I skipped around with my hands behind my back, waiting for him to strike.

"G-Gaara, come on. He isn't worth it," Temari said nervously with a nervous smile on her face.

"Shut up," Gaara demanded, making me shake my head.

"Manners, geez. You can't just tell a woman to shut up," I scolded as I stopped my skipping. I stood in the middle of the room with my hands on my hips. "Okay, now come at me."

His sand quickly rushed towards me, but I teleported across the room.

"Over here!" I announced before teleporting back to my seat. "Just kidding." I the teleported to the buffet table and chirped, "Come on!"

He grit his teeth as his eyes looked all around, trying to settle on me for more than a second.

I finally ended up in the middle of the room while giving a victorious laugh. "Youth, baby! Mine's almost invincible!"

"Sand coffin!" Gaara yelled as he extended his palm out.

As sand wrapped in a cocoon, I giggled. "I'm gonna be a butterfly."

"Sand-"

"Nevermind!" I called out as I replaced my body with my hidden kage bunshin. I watched my clone die in my new seat next to Kankuro. "He do this often?"

The boy jumped away from me, his eyes practically ready to explode out of his skull. "What the hell?!"

"Aw, come on. I'm not that ugly," I said with a pout before moving back to my original seat. I took another bite of my food before seeing that Gaara hadn't really touched his. "You gonna finish that?"

The red-head stared at me like I was some alien, his lips parting just slightly as his jaw seemed to slacken. Then, it finally seemed to dawn on Gaara what type of asshole I was exactly.

"I'm not hearing a no," I said cheerfully before taking some salmon off of his plate to shove in my mouth. "Thanks bro."

"I don't like you," the boy growled as he glared at me fiercely, his sand slowly inching towards me as if trying to sneak up on me.

"No one does," I chirped even though admitting that fact killed me a bit on the inside. I gave him a closed-eye smile as I gently poked the middle of his forehead. "But no one likes you either, right?"

Gaara froze as he stared at me in shock. Had he never really been asked something to make him question those around him?

"In a world of vast horizons, it's so easy to feel you're alone. That's why people put up fake acts to try and get people to surround them. You, however, seem to thrive in the fact you're alone, despite being surrounded by many." I chuckled as I patted his head. "It's okay. I'm sure you'll make friends eventually."

He swatted my hand away as his sand retreated into his gourd. "You're... really odd."

"Yep! Give it another few days, and I'll be moulded into someone normal," I said as I gave another closed-eye smile.

His eyes narrowed questioningly, but he refused to outwardly ask what I had meant.

"Hiding what people don't like about me is a specialty of mine. Other specialties include, but are not limited to, sarcasm as a defense mechanism, which will be locked away, sadism, typically locked away, masochism, also gonna be locked away, dark humor, locked away, and making seals of all kinds! I even have a seal that can blow the user to bits if they're ever feeling suicidal." I gave a cheerful laugh as the boy just stared at me like I was a lunatic. "Hey, I have another joke. What's the definition of gay?" I didn't wait for his response. "A guy who enlarges the circle of his friends." I gave a small snort as I watched him process the joke very slowly.

Finally, he took a large step away from me.

"Why was six afraid of seven?" I asked as my smirk practically split my face in half.

He gave an unamused look. "Because seven ate nine."

"Because seven was a registered six offender," I answered with a wink.

"We're going," Gaara said to his teammates before cautiously leaving, glaring at me as I waved to him.

As soon as he left, I blurted out, "I think I nailed that first impression!"

"Would you warn somebody before you feel like trying to commit suicide?" Ino-chan muttered while glaring at me.

I gave a shrug. "The air was tense, and clearly no one liked the fact Gaara was around, so I improvised."

"By trying to get everyone killed?" Shikamaru-san asked with a deadpanned expression.

"You could have walked your ass out of that door at any time," I sassed while pointing at said door.

"You were appearing and disappearing all over the place!" Ino-chan yelled angrily.

"It's called teleporting, thank you very much. I have finally mastered doing such without hands, and all it took was being strapped to a hospital bed!" I gave another victorious laugh before going to the middle of the room. "Now excuse me while I summon my senpai." I got down onto my right knee as if I was going to propose to someone. I took in as deep of a breath as possible as I raised my hands above my head. I then began to slowly drop my arms towards my side as I yelled out, as loud as possible mind you, "Springtime of youth!"

And so the angel from the heavens was summoned! Lee-senpai appeared in a ball of heavenly light before me, his smile twinkling like the sun as an excited expression sat of his face. "Where is this Springtime of Youth, Ren-kun?!"

I am truly blessed, I thought before Sado internally smacked my face.

You fool! You do not deserve the pure one! He yelled at me.

I know, but one can always look! I thought, my impureness surely dooming me to hell's bottomless pits as I stared at the angel while standing. "You're looking at it! After finally sneaking out of the medical bay, I am here to be youthful with you, Lee-senpai!"

"Is that so?! Then let's do laps!" Lee-senpai offered, to which I quickly agreed. He lead me as we ran into the metaphorical sunset together, our youthfulness knowing no bounds.

It was truly a beautiful sight... That lasted about ten minutes before we ran in an area where the senseis were gathered.

Guess who I ran across there. I'm sure you've already answered it. Yes, as you have guessed, it was the devil himself- I mean Kakashi-sensei.

"You're doing well considering you said you just got out of the medical bay," Lee-senpai pointed out.

I chuckled. "I won't be kept down by a mere slice to the chest. My Springtime of Youth will never end!"

He gave a joyful laugh. "That's the spirit!"

"Yes! Youth is amazing!" Gai-sensei exclaimed as his upper half came leaning out of a doorway down the hall, his thumb raised as his teeth reflected one of the sun's many rays.

Behind him, a massive wave of darkness engulfed the hallway. "Ren."

"Shit," I cursed as I came screeching to a halt.

"Ah, Kakashi-" Gai cut himself off as he realized that his eternal rival looked ready to commit non-good-for-the-village murder. "Uh... Kakashi...?"

"Ren. I know you aren't running around when you're supposed to be in that bed," Kakashi stated as he began to approach me, his waves of darkness paralyzing my body in place.

"I can explain," I said quickly to the man who had lowered his head and voice.

"Oh yeah?" He questioned as he got within arm's length.

"...No," I replied before quickly running off while screaming like the little bitch I was.

"Get back here!" Kakashi-sensei yelled as he ran after me, his eyes burning fucking volcanoes through my body.

"I'm sorry!" I screamed as I picked up my pace. I spotted my salvation down the hallway, my eyes sparking at my luck. I teleported to the furthest otonin and continued running from there, ignoring how Kakashi-sensei was promising to do some not-nice things to me and my dead body if I didn't get my ass back down to the medical bay that instant.

"What was that?" Dosu mumbled as my sensei flew past him.

"I can't believe he's the boy we were supposed to not touch," Kin growled.

"Shut it!" Zaku hissed at the girl.

My super sensitive hearing managed to pick it up regardless, and I had a brief moment of 'Wait, what?' before remembering that I had a literal hell spawn trying to kill me. I picked up my pace yet again while deciding that I'd interrogate those three later with my special Haruno Ren sarcasm tactics.

"Ren! That is not the way to your room!" Kakashi-sensei yelled as I ducked into a different hallway.

"Yeah, no shit! You're in the way to my room!" I yelled back as I quickly approached Team 8, also known as Team Kurenai. "Hey Akamaru!"

The dog barked at me while wagging his tail.

"Love you, too!" I replied as I passed him by. "Kiba's still eh."

"Hey, screw you!" Kiba yelled after me, earning a middle finger.

Akamaru barked after me, getting a small hand up in defense.

"Sorry, bro!" I exclaimed before making a sharp right, disappeared from their sights.

"Medical bay! Now!" Kakashi-sensei barked at me.

"Okay!" I replied before thinking up a place I'd be safe to teleport to. I gave a snicker before teleporting to the buffet. "I'm back!"

"Thankfully, we were just leaving," Shikamaru-san grumbled as he and his team left, Choji-san looking quite reluctant to do so.

Neji and Tenten-san were gone as well, leaving me as the only person left.

"Great, I'll just hide over here," I said as I hid behind the buffet table and concealed as much of my chakra as humanly possible. I pulled out my chakra restraint seal and smacked it onto my forehead before waiting.

As it turns out, Kakashi-sensei scouted out almost all of the tower, and I managed to avoid him by a mere fluke. His kage bunshins practically patrolled the halls until the rest of my team arrived.

I only knew they arrived because I took my seal off and teleported my ass to wherever my sister was after hearing Kakashi-sensei coo my name while opening the door to the room I had moved to. "Sakura!"

"R-Ren?!" She exclaimed as I appeared next to her.

"I've missed you!" I yelled as I hugged her tightly, ignoring the other three in the background.

"It's been three days," she sassed as she nonetheless gave me a hug back.

"Kakashi-sensei's been trying to kill me," I whispered, causing her to push me away with a deadpanned expression.

"And what did you do this time?" The pinkenette asked.

"So, apparently, Kakashi-sensei has problems with me running laps around the tower when I'm technically supposed to be laying in my hospital bed," I replied with a scoff and a roll of my eyes. "I mean, can you believe that?"

Needless to say, Sakura punched me so hard, I crashed into the far wall and made a dent. "You idiot!"

I laughed as I stood up and brushed my clothes off. "It was worth it."

"Are you kidding me?! If you're supposed to be in a hospital bed right now, I expect you to go there immediately!" My twin yelled whilst pointing towards my face.

"Nah, I'm just yanking your chain," I lied as I walked over. "So whatcha doin'?"

"Well, I just finished explaining the meaning of this to them," Iruka-sensei answered as he motioned to the poster.

"Cool. Kotetsu-san explained that to me, too. Granted, he tried killing me first." I snickered at the memory that honestly wasn't that old.

"Hagane Kotetsu?" Iruka-sensei's asked worriedly.

"Yeah. He didn't like me talking about their obviously gay relationship in front of everyone taking, and proctoring, the first part of the chunin exams," I explained with a small shrug.

"Wait, what do you mean by their obviously gay relationship?" He questioned innocently.

Oh my gods. Has he really never heard of this joke before? Has all his time teaching kids really affected his more adult side? Is he still an pure boy on the inside that I must refrain from tainting?! I internally asked as my smile slowly became more and more forced.

"I'm joking with you!" Iruka-sensei laughed as he patted my head reassuringly.

I gave a massive sigh of relief as I held my chest. "I was really worried there. You looked so genuine."

"I know all about what you did actually. What you did spread like wildfire. Everyone's been talking about it lately," Iruka-sensei said as he out his hand on his hip. "When Raidō-san came back, granted it was only an hour ago, he got so much money for the betting pot that he promised to give a tenth of the winnings to you, no matter which side won in the end."

"Oh yeah. Kakashi-sensei found out about that. I'm no longer going to hold any betting pots." I then added with a grin, "To his knowledge at least."

Sakura stealthily came up from behind me and punched my head harshly. "You're not going near any betting pots from now on! You won't swindle anyone else out of money!"

I pouted as I looked back at Sakura. "I don't swindle people out of money while holding the betting pot. I just watch over the money and keep tabs on whose money is whose."

"It's still a no! What would Okaa-san and Otou-san say about this?!" She yelled at me, her hands placed on her hips.

I can't answer that honestly... I realized before hanging my head. I mumbled with false guilt in my voice, "That it's bad..."

"Exactly," my twin sassed.

Not, I added in as I looked away, the guilt covering my expression.

"In any case," Iruka-sensei butted in, "This third and final test... Don't push yourselves too hard. Especially you, Naruto. I worry about you the-"

"From the moment I received this Leaf hitai-ate, I'm no longer an academy student! There is no need to worry!" Uzumaki-kun interrupted before lifting up said headband a bit. "And this is that symbol that I am all grown up, right?! The part about me never relaxing may not have changed, but I'm not a kid anymore!"

Iruka-sensei looked a bit worried nonetheless. He clearly cared for Uzumaki-kun, something that hadn't changed over the years.

"Now... I am a ninja!" Uzumaki-kun declared.

The two of them stared each other down before the sun-kissed man back off.

He gave a small smile, though worry and a tiny hint of sadness swirled around his eyes. "I see... I'm sorry, Naruto." Iruka-sensei was clearly thinking back on something as his brow furrowed a little bit. His expression became a bit more relaxed as Uzumaki-kun laughed with his arms crossed.

"Alright! I'm sure you three are starving! Follow me up to the all-you-can-eat buffet!" I chirped as I put my hands on my hips.

"Do they have ramen?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he immediately stood before me, excitement all over his face.

"Only miso, and since it's self-service, it's probably not up to your standards," I answered, only for him to wave it off.

"Ramen is ramen! Now let's go!" The blonde cheered, making me chuckle slightly.

"Sure, sure. See ya later, Iruka-sensei," I said while waving at the man, who waved back with his usual kind smile. I then lead my team up towards the buffet while asking about how the rest of the exam went for them.

"Nothing of real excitement happened until the last part," Uchiha answered, his hands shoved into his pockets. "These two fools were going to open the scroll until Kabuto showed up."

"Is that so?" I asked as I looked at Sakura and Uzumaki-kun sternly.

They laughed nervously while trying to look innocent.

I gave a deep sigh before motioning for Uchiha to continue on.

"He helped guide us to tower. On our way there, the shinobi that first went after us showed up again with his team. We switched ourselves out with Naruto and some of his shadow clones as to make them show themselves," Uchiha explained before getting a serious look in his eyes that lasted a split-second. "When they finally did show themselves, we beat them down and got their scroll with no problems."

"I see. You guys made it in time nick of time. You'll probably only get the chance to eat before we have to start the third part of this exam," I said as I looked towards the other two.

"How many teams passed?" Sakura asked as she quickly took up my right side.

"All the rookies, Lee-senpai and his team, Kabuto-san and his team, Gaara and his team, and, unfortunately, the otonin," I explained, earning a range of expressions from my team.

Uzumaki-kun looked confused, Sakura was down right ready to give up, and Uchiha looked excited and worried at the same time.

I smiled at my team before pulling the three in close as we continued on. "No one mention the snake. The proctors, ANBU, and Hokage-sama all know, and they're trying to bait him out. If you openly talk about him, you're going to create a bit catastrophe."

The three nodded at me, though Uzumaki-kun still wasn't on the same page.

"Uh, what snake?" He asked.

I deadpanned before whispering, "You remember that dude that literally summoned a giant snake and tried killing everyone?"

"That freak?!" He exclaimed, causing me to slap my hand over his mouth.

"Yes, that freak. Now shut up and don't mention it again, got it?" I hissed, earning a nod. I released him while giving a small sigh. "Good. Now get yourselves some food and try saving up as much chakra as possible. I'm willing to bet that you're gonna need it."

Sakura gave a deep sigh as her shoulders sagged. "Of course, we are..."

"Oh, right. If any of you have to fight Gaara, I'm telling you here and now to give up. You guys don't have the strength to fight a monster like him," I said seriously, my arms crossed as I looked at the three.

"What do you mean by monster?" Uchiha questioned.

"I mean he's literally a monster, a cold-blooded murderer. Stay away from him," I demanded before smiling brightly. "Anyway, here's the buffet!"

The three were temporarily taken aback by my sudden change in attitude. After exchanging glances, they brushed it off and went into the room to get themselves some food.

As I followed after them, I asked for some more details about how their past few days have gone. I listened to each of their tales of what happened before someone opened the door. I looked over only to immediately duck down as a kunai went towards my head. "Spare me!"

"If you four weren't due down in the arena, I'd take you down to the medical bay and strap you back into that bed myself," the jônin threatened as he glared down upon me fiercely.

"How bad is his wound?" Sakura asked as she began to clean up her area.

"He almost died," Kakashi-sensei replied, making my sister punch me across the face.

"You said you were joking!" She accused as I giggled while rolling across the floor.

"Sorry~!" I apologized despite not being truthful at all.

"Tch. You're so annoying," the pinkenette grumbled, making my smile become just a tiny bit forced.

I stood up and brushed my clothes off. "Thank you."

She shook her head at me before heading over to Kakashi-sensei, who waiting by the door for us.

I followed after her and received a punch to the top of my head from Kakashi-sensei as soon as I got within arm's length. "Hehe..."

"So did you even show them where the medical bay way?" Kakashi-sensei asked as we began to go.

"No. They needed food first, in my opinion, and a chance to unwind before the next part of the exam," I replied honestly as I walked along with my hands behind my head.

"What if one of them were injured?" He questioned with a narrowed eye.

I gave a sigh as my hands dropped to my side. My head lowered as my remained on my lips. "Kakashi-sensei... Do you really not trust my judgement?"

"Sometimes it would be foolish of me to do so," he muttered.

"Is that so?" I asked myself as my hands slipped themselves into my pockets. Yeah... He's definitely not going to be a key player in my everybody any time soon.

Uchiha released small grunt as he took up my side. He leaned in close and whispered, "There's something I didn't say about Kabuto. Earlier, when we were fighting those other ninjas, he looked over at one and grinned. I think he used a genjutsu that paralyzed the other shinobi for a bit."

"When did this happen?" I muttered back.

"Right after he got slashed across the face," he replied softly, earning a small nod.

"It was like his, right? And that's the only reason you're telling me," I concluded.

"Pretty much," the boy answered.

"I'll look into it," I promised seriously.

Uchiha nodded once before falling back a bit.

I bit the inside of my cheek as I narrowed my eyes at the ground. If Kabuto really is on the same team as Orochimaru, then problems will definitely arise. It could just be a fluke, however. That jutsu that makes you see your death, and thus paralyzes you in fear...

I'm sure that would be a high-rank genjutsu. It'd probably take quite the time to perfect, though considering how old Kabuto probably is by now... Hm, perhaps an angle change would serve me well. What would be a good reason to fail the chunin exams seven times in a row? He said that he's been gathering information on the exams as well as the people taking said exams. He could be a scout for Orochimaru. Ah, but why would the otonin attack the information source? Unless they didn't know. They weren't told much in terms of orders from Orochimaru, so they were definitely disposable pawns.

"This is where I leave you," Kakashi-sensei said, snapping me out of my trance.

"Alright! Let's knock 'em dead!" Uzumaki-kun cheered as he rushed forwards.

Uchiha and Sakura exchanged annoyed glanced before following after him.

I was going to follow after them when Kakashi-sensei put his hand on my shoulder. I paused and looked back at him in confusion.

He leaned down and whispered, "I heard what you two discussed. Be careful, and please don't do something stupid."

"Of course," I said with a nod.

He released my shoulder and ruffled my hair. "Good."

I smiled at him before grabbing the handle of the door.

"Ren," he called, making me look back at him once again. With a closed-eye smile, he ordered, "Don't hold back."

My eyes widened, and my jaw slackened a bit. I quickly got over that though and smiled once again. "I won't!"

Kakashi-sensei nodded in approval before shunshining into the arena.

With a large grin, I opened the door and walked in.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

I stood to the left of Ino-chan with my hands behind my back.

Behind Ino-chan was Shikamaru-san, and behind him was Choji-san.

Next to Ino-chan was Kiba, who stood in front of Hinata-san and Shino-san.

Next to Kiba stood Uzumaki-kun, who stood before Uchiha and my sister.

Next to the blonde was Neji, who was before Lee-senpai and Tenten-san.

Next was Kabuto and his team.

Then was Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari respectively.

And finally there was Dosu, Zaku, and Kin, those damn Otogakure bastards under fucking Orochimaru, that motherfucking snake.

In front of the remaining seven teams and I were the senseis of each respective team, Hokage-sama, Anko, Morino-san, and a few proctors.

Welp, I'm betting that I can pass this too, I thought as I kept a blank expression on my face.

"First off, for the second exam..." Anko trailed off making a few others tense up. "Congratulations on passing!"

"Thanks," I replied politely before realizing it was somewhat rhetorical. I ignored her slightly annoyed look and looked past her at the Otogakure sensei. I stared at him suspiciously, wondering what his connection to Orochimaru was.

"So hungry!" Choji-san mumbled dejectedly despite eating not too long ago.

"Still this many left? This sucks," Shikamaru-san noted with a grouchy expression.

"Sasuke-kun's team passed too!" Ino-chan noted excitedly.

"Your team isn't too bad. Maybe they were lucky. But as long as my team is around, getting any further is impossible," Gai-sensei commented to Kakashi-sensei, who was standing right next to him. "Since from now on, it's all about real ability. Well, with youth, there are sweet times, and there are sour times, eh Kakashi?"

"Huh? You say something?" Kakashi-sensei asked cooly with a completely neutral expression.

Gai-sensei turned away as his fist shook, frustration all over his face. "Heh. Not bad, my rival, Kakashi. You're cool in that way, and it really gets in my nerves..."

"Ahh... So that's Gai-sensei's eternal rival. Gai-sensei totally loses in terms of looks though," Tenten-san commented softly.

"I knew it! Among all the teachers, Gai-sensei is the coolest! He's sparkling! Alright..." Lee-senpai got a really determined look as his springtime of youth was ready to explode. "Watch me, Gai-sensei! I'll sparkle too!"

"So the main guys survived..." Neji muttered before looking over at one of my teammates. "Uchiha Sasuke..."

Of course, the oto-fuckers were also looking at the Duckass.

"I'll get you back for my arms, Uchiha Sasuke..." Zaku growled.

I watched the Otogakure sensei smirk at Kabuto-san, making said grey-haired boy look slightly confused for a split-second. I gave a small hum before the creep turned his eyes towards me.

He gave a smile that sent shivers down my spine. With the markings around his eyes, as well as the darkness and length of his hair, definitely reminded me of the snake. His eyes were the worst thing though.

Was he messed with to look like the snake? I mean, Orochimaru probably messed with all of those under him, especially considering the advancements those Otogakure guys had. I refused to back down from the eye-staring contest. I continued on staring straight into his eyes, ignoring everything else around me.

His chakra...

I felt confused at what Sado said until it dawned on me. I managed to keep the horror off my face as I realized why he had reminded me so much of Orochimaru.

That freak was Orochimaru.

I grit my teeth in frustration, my fingers digging their nails into the skin of my palms. He's right there, but if I say anything now, I'll probably cause a disaster. Surely Hokage-sama and the others know about it too. I shouldn't make a move that may jeopardize their operation.

Orochimaru's smile suddenly seemed to darken, as if he realized that I knew his identity. He suddenly seemed ten times more amused, something that I would gladly pass over to someone else in a heartbeat.

"So only seven out of the twenty-seven teams passed..." Temari mumbled as she looked around. "And there's also that guy..."

It took me a moment to realize she was talking about me. When I finally did notice, I allowed annoyance to crawl onto my face as I glared at her out of the corners of my eyes.

Akamaru gave a small whine, catching my attention.

"The sand guy..." Kiba muttered as he looked over at Gaara warily.

"Oh good... Naruto-kun passed too..." Hinata-san said softly as she looked at Uzumaki-kun happily.

"What's this? All the Konoha rookies are here," Sakura noted while looking around.

"Wow! Wow! Hokage-ojii-san, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and even Super Brows is here! It's like everyone is assembled!" Naruto exclaimed, keeping his voice down as to not disturb everyone within the next kilometer.

"Heh... I can't say that I'm getting a good feeling..." Uchiha muttered as a grin sat on his lips.

"Hokage-sama will now explain the third exam! Listen carefully!" Anko demanded before looking to the old man. "Now Hokage-sama, please."

"Yes," he answered, his pipe not at all affecting his speech despite being between his lips. "For the coming third exam... But before I explain that, there is something I'd like you to know. It concerns the true reason for this exam."

True reason? I repeated questioningly in my mind.

""To promote friendship among the countries." "To raise the level of shinobi." I don't want you to be confused about the true meaning... This exam is..." He trailed off as he took his pipe from his mouth and blew out some smoke. "A replacement for war among the allied countries."

"What does that mean...?" Tenten-san asked.

Pretty self-explanatory really. Countries are throwing their younger ninjas out there into "battle" to stimulate war, which will reap several benefits for various people, I concluded.

"If you go back in time, the current allies were enemies who fought each other over who would rule. In order to prevent wasteful fighting, the stage that these countries chose for battle..." Hokage-sama trailed off, making me raise a brow. "That is the origins of this chûnin selection examination."

"Why the hell do we have to do that crap?! Isn't this thing for deciding who's a chûnin?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled.

I deadpanned so hard, my face was stuck like that for at least half a minute. Oh my fucking gods. You're the reason people stereotype blondes as fucking morons. As far as you discovering the hidden meaning within the hidden meaning goes... You're too stupid to discover the obvious hidden meaning, even when it's been spelled out for you.

"It is a fact that this exam decides which shinobis have what it takes to become a chunin. But, on the other hand, this exam has another side where each country's shinobis risk their own life to protect their land's prestige," Hokage-sama explained.

"Prestige?" Ino-chan repeated questioningly.

I felt my eyes roll as annoyance began to bubble up inside of me. You're gonna have to literally spell everything out. This will take fucking forever!

"Watching this third exam will be leaders and influential individuals from many countries who make up the clients of the shinobi, and the leaders of the countries will also be there to watch each of your battles," the old man said, "If the strength of a country is clear, that country will receive more clients. And, controversially, if seen as weak, they will lose clients. And this will signal to potential enemies that "Our village has this much power." So it will send a political message to the outsiders."

"Yeah, but why?! Why do we have to risk our lives in battle?!" Kiba yelled.

"Ugh. I'm surrounded my retards," I grumbled under my breath.

"The strength of the country is the strength of the village. The strength of the village is the strength of the shinobi. And a shinobi's true strength is born only through life-risking battle," Hokage-sama stated.

Training and studying are also good tools, I thought blankly.

"This exam is a place to see each country's strength and to show off your strength. It only has meaning because lives are at risk. And that's why those that have come before you have fought in the chûnin exam for this dream that is meaningful," Hokage-sama explained.

Huh... Now that I think about it, I never actually came up with a dream. Is a dreamless path really worth dying over? I stared at the old man blankly before Sado suddenly butted into my internal monologue, making it a dialogue... (Wait, if he's a part of my personality, would it actually be a dialogue or a monologue? Am I stupid, crazy, or a bit of both?)

Isn't our dream protecting Sakura? He asked.

Yeah, but we need another reason, I thought.

Why? He questioned.

I don't know. It just doesn't feel right. She's bound to get stronger eventually- No. I'm willing to bet that she'll become strong enough to protect herself one day. What will I do then?

I don't know. Maybe you could get married and settle down.

I could hardly keep myself from bursting out laughing. Hah hah hah! That one was hilarious! Holy shit! Me?! Marry and settle down?! Who the fuck would want me?!

I don't fucking know! I'm throwing out ideas, dammit! Sado yelled angrily.

We'll discuss this later. Heh heh. Marry and settle down. Holy fuck, that was the most entertaining idea I've had in a long time.

It was my idea!

Same person, remember? I teased, only to hear silence. ...Fuck, I'm a super weirdo...

"But then why do you say stuff about it being for "friendship"?!" Tenten-san yelled, making me remember that I was currently listening in on a conversation between Hokage-sama and a bunch of morons.

"I said it in the beginning, I don't want to confuse the purpose of this. By losing life and establishing balance - this is the shape of friendship in the world of shinobi. Before we begin the third test, I will tell you one more thing. This is not just a test..." Hokage-sama trailed off dramatically, making me growl softly in annoyance. "This is a life-risking battle with your dreams and your country's prestige on the line."

"I get it," Uzumaki-kun said, making me snort.

I bit my lower lip while ignoring how he shot my a dirty look. "Like fuck you do..."

"Hey! I heard that!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at me while pointing.

"I'm glad your ears work," I chirped as I flashed him a smirk. "I know that brain of yours is a little slow, so..."

"You take that back!" The blonde demanded.

"I don't care what it is... Just hurry up and tell us what this life-risking battle entails," Gaara interrupted.

Hokage-sama released a small breath. "Yes. I'd like to now explain the third exam, but..."

"Actually..." Someone said as they appeared bowing before Hokage-sama with a cough. "I apologized, Hokage-sama... From here on, as the referee, will you allow me, Gekkō Hayate...?"

"By all means..." Hokage-sama replied.

"Hello everyone. I'm Hayate," the man greeted before turning around with another cough. He showed the bags under his eyes as he said, "Um... Before the third exam, there's something I'd like you to do."

I'm willing to bet he's gonna die within the next month.

I nodded before pausing. We don't bet on people's death! That's crossing the fucking line, dude!

There's no harm if it's gonna happen, he replied, a shrug clear in his voice.

Shut up! I internally screeched.

"Um... It's a preliminary for the third test to decide who gets to participate in the main event," Hayate-san said.

"Preliminary?" Sakura repeated questioningly.

"Preliminary?! What do you mean?!" Shikamaru-san yelled.

"Sensei... I don't understand this preliminary, but... Why aren't all the people here allowed to participate in the next test?" Sakura inquired.

"Um... Because the first and second test may have been too easy this year..." Hayate-san replied, making me internally burst out laughing.

Too easy he says! Fucker clearly didn't fight Orochimaru by himself! I thought angrily as I flipped a non-existent table in my mind.

I liked that table! Sado yelled, earning several middle fingers.

Don't ask.

"We gave a bit too many people remaining. According to chûnin exam rules, we must have a preliminary and reduce the number of participants for the third test," Hayate-san explained

"No way..." My twin muttered in disbelief.

"As Hokage-sama indicated earlier, there will be many guests at the third test, so the fights could take too long. We are limited in time. Um... So anyway..." Hayate-san said, clearly the smoothest person in existence when it came to changing topics. "Those who are not feeling well... Those who feel like quitting after these explanations... Please come forward now since we will be starting the preliminary immediately."

"Wait! Right now?!" Kiba exclaimed in shock.

The sickly man gave a nod, as well as a few harsh coughs.

No one decided to step forwards to quit.

"Um... Does anyone want to retire? Oh... Um... I forgot to tell you that from now on it will be individual battling. You may raise your hand based on your own judgement," Hayate-san added in as be pulled out a few sheets.

Still, no one stepped forwards or raised their hands.

"Um... So no one is retiring?" Hayate-san questioned, making me give a small shrug.

My team made a big drama, and I pretended to not associate with them whatsoever until they finally quieted down.

"Huh?!" Sakura exclaimed before looking to Uchiha, who was grabbing at his curse seal while making a pained noise.

"You have been strange since that guy attacked you. That mark still hurts, right?!" Sakura asked as she looked at Uchiha worriedly. "If you continue...!"

I clenched my hands into fists as she began to shake, tears forming in her eyes. I swear to the fucking gods, if that son of a bitch makes her cry anymore...

"Please... Quit... I'm... afraid..." Sakura admitted as she wiped the tears coming from her eyes. "You are in no condition to fight right now!"

Uchiha began to glare harshly.

"I can see it! You have been hiding the pain all this time!" My twin continued. "Whatever you say. I'm going to tell the senseis about that mark. Then..." She began to raise her hand, only for Uchiha to grab it and shove it back down.

"Shut up about this mark," Duckass growled.

That got more tears rolling down her cheeks.

I looked over at Uchiha with the eyes of murder, several plans already being made for his death.

"Why are you so stubborn?! I don't want to see you suffering anymore. To me, you are..." Sakura trailed off at the end, though it was clear where she was going with it.

"This has nothing to do with you. Stay out of my business," Duckass demanded, making her freeze. "Sakura... I have told you before. I am an avenger. This isn't just a test to me. I don't care about chûnin or whatever. "Am I strong?" I just want the answer to that."

No, I internally answered for him as my eyes narrowed.

"To just fight strong guys here... And they are here... I can't forgive even you if you take that away from me," Uchiha stated, clearly wanting me to kick his ever-loving ass.

"You bastard!" Uzumaki-kun yelled, earning a nod of approval from me. Stop acting all cool! Idiot! Sakura is this worried and-"

"Naruto... I also want to fight you..." Uchiha said, causing the blonde to jolt in surprise. He then released a pained noise as his hand clenched his neck tightly.

So it spreads from there. If that's the case, then I need to know more about what the effects are before I can make a seal. So far, I know it effects his chakra, as well as his physical strength. His mental state usually takes a blow from it, so it probably tampers with his normal way of thinking and twists it around slightly. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.

Alright, let's start the process. First, we want to make a seal that counteracts a seal already place. Second, we want that seal to not affect Uchiha's normal ways of using jutsu or thinking. It cannot be used to inhibit the user. Third, we need it to be permanent, or at least until we find a way to get rid of the first seal. Now, the problems arise when it comes to the curse seal. How deeply integrated into his body is it? Does it already have control over certain things? How will sealing it effect Uchiha in all forms? That's why I need information. And if you need information... You go to Konoha's shinobi records hidden in the Hokage Monument.

"Um... Now... Let's begin the preliminary," Hayate-san suggested. "This preliminary will consist of one on one fighting. You will basically fight as if in a real life confrontation. Since we have exactly 22 entrants, we will conduct 11 matches, and... Um... The winners will advance to the third test. There are basically no rules. The fight continues until one of you dies or is knocked out or admits your defeat."

That's a run on sentence, I thought, internally criticizing his grammar even though my own definitely sucked. Also, how casually can you mention death in your state without it seeming like a cry for salvation?

That was really fucking dark, Sado pointed out.

I know, I admitted sheepishly.

"Um... If you don't want to die, then quickly acknowledge your defeat," Hayate-san suggested with a small cough. "But when I decide that the winner has clearly been established... Um... Since we don't want to pointlessly increase the amount of corpses, I'll jump in and stop things. And the object that controls your destiny is..."

"Open it," Anko demanded into her microphone.

A panel opened on the wall revealing a green screen.

"Is this... This electric scoreboard will show the match-ups for each battle," Hayate-san explained. "Now, this is sudden, but let's announce two names of the first fight."

Everyone stared at the board as hearts began to pick up in pace. Suddenly, two names appeared.

Haruno Ren

VS

Yakushi Kabuto

Can I-

Hold on, I thought before looking over at Kakashi-sensei. I pointed my thumb towards Kabuto while pointing my other thumb towards where I typically have my sado seal.

He gave a simple nod of approval.

Okay, I thought as I backed off.

Then no holding back! Sado cheered as he took full control.

"Now, will these two entrants come to the front?" Hayate-san asked.

I walked towards the front and stood of the sickly man's right. I watched as Kabuto took his spot across from me with that fake smile still plastered on his face.

Suspicion sat in those black eyes of his as he eyed my body language. He didn't make anything obvious though as he stared at the smile I typically had sitting on my lips.

"The two participants in the first fight are Haruno Ren and Yakushi Kabuto. Are you ready?" Hayate-san questioned as he looked between us.

"Yep!" I chirped as I began to rock back and forth on my heels.

"Yes," Kabuto answered.

"Now... We will be starting the first match." Hayate-san raised his left hand and motioned to the second "floor" of the arena. "Will everyone except the two participants move to the upper level?"

Kakashi-sensei began to walk towards my teammates.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!" Uzumaki-kun called while flailing about.

"Ren," he said as he passed me, making me hum. "If you aggravate that wound and cause it to start bleeding badly again, I'll jump in and stop the match, got it?"

"Yes, Okaa-san," I sassed, earning a small slap to the back of my head. I waved my middle fingers around at his back as he followed after my teammates. Hell, I even went so far as to stick my tongue out and move my head around mockingly. Fuck you man. I'm in control. What I says, goes.

It's actually "What I say, goes." You said says.

Fuck off! I snapped angrily.

Once everyone left, Hayate-san said, "Now. Please begin."

"Are you ready?" Kabuto asked as he began to make a few handsigns.

"Sure am," I replied happily before teleporting behind him, my hands placed together in the tiger seal. "Konoha's Most Secret and Powerful Technique!"

"What?!" Kabuto exclaimed as he began to turn around.

My eyes sparked as I shoved my four fingers, dry mind you, up Kabuto's ass. "A Thousand Years of Death!"

Kabuto froze up for a second before suddenly rocketing away as tears gathered in his eyes. "What the hell?!"

"Ren! Take this seriously!" Sakura yelled at me, her fury clear in her voice.

"But Kakashi-sensei taught it to me," I said while pointing at the man who was giggling into his hands.

The sharingan-wielder suddenly tensed up upon feeling the narrowed eyes of a tweenager glaring right through him. He held up his hands in mock defense while saying, "I didn't think he'd actually use it, I swear."

"Pay attention!" Kabuto yelled as he threw a few shuriken at me.

"I can divide my attention," I said as I ducked under the shuriken. I then rushed for Kabuto as my smile suddenly grew malicious. Don't look at the eyes. Don't get caught.

The older boy jumped back before a glow suddenly enveloped his right hand.

Chakra - a blade of chakra, Maso noted before saying, Kaimon! Kyūmon!

Oh fuck yes! I internally screamed as I finally went full-power with my semi-healed body.

Kabuto flinched back as I picked up my pace ten fold. He tried hitting me with his chakra, only for me to grab ahold of his arm.

I pulled that arm towards me as my body swung around, kicking his face harshly, sending his glasses flying.

He was able to quickly recover regardless and grabbed ahold of my leg with his chakra blade hand.

"Not really a turn-on right now," I admitted as pain shot through my leg. I quickly punched his face before kicking just below his ribs, causing him to backtrack with a small wheeze. My eyes narrowed in on his face where I had just kicked him. It's healing at a tremendous rate. Does he know medical ninjutsu? Shit. This may be harder than I thought.

"Don't get distracted!" Kabuto demanded as he lunged forwards.

I easily kicked him across the face, sending him into the wall. "Give me a sec."

You should probably take this seriously. He works for Orochimaru.

Mkay, I agreed before taking in a deep breath. I calmed myself down before getting in tune with my chakra. I made a kage bunshin and allowed it to take my place while I hid away in the blink of an eye. I remained below the ground while waiting for my cue.

After a few long minutes, my kage bunshin yelled out, "Saku: Kuro no Hasu!"

I eagerly moved through the ground, positioning myself below Kabuto.

My bunshin tapped the ground twice, signalling for me to make my move.

My hand broke out of the arena floor and grabbed onto Kabuto's left ankle. "Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu." I replaced myself with Kabuto and grinned down at the grey-haired teenager. "You know what they say! The nail that sticks up the most is the one that gets hammered down!"

Kabuto didn't reply as he began to cough violently.

"Hey, we probs shouldn't kill him," my double said as his eyes briefly flickered towards Orochimaru.

"That's exactly why we want to kill him," I objected as I smacked its bleeding head.

"Wh... What is this...?" Kabuto managed to ask through his panting and coughing.

"Hm? Oh, well that's my jutsu. I designed it as a method of torture when I was still a little shit," I answered while motioning to my rather short height as a six-year-old. "It's pretty effective, huh? I've gotten it pretty much perfected over these past few years!"

"You... made this?" He panted as pain showed in his eyes.

I chuckled as I kneeled down in front of him, my clone just flopping down on its ass behind the black-eyed boy. "Yep. But there's no need to tell him that, especially since he's here now."

Shock filled his expression as my technique stopped, freeing him from the pain that was filling his body.

"You think I wouldn't notice?" I asked with a chuckle. "I'd be a moron to miss it. Besides, I already put a chakra seal on him. I can locate him wherever, whenever. And I also have one on you. I'm not going to let either of you go."

Kabuto suddenly smirked as he asked, "Oh really?"

"Hah! You caught my bluff!" I exclaimed as I bounced up to my feet. "Why the fuck would I want to go anywhere near that freak? There's nothing he could offer me that I'd be interested in. Besides..." I lifted up my right foot, my smile darkening once again. I gave a loud chuckle as I allowed the strength in my leg to be at its maximum for a brief moment. I slammed my foot down on Kabuto's head just hard enough to give him a concussion, knock him out, and cause some bleeding. "You're not good enough for me. I love a good challenge, which he'll give if I'm on the opposing side, right?" I lifted my foot up and smiled down at the unconscious head below. Still alive, like the cockroach he is. I could kill him now, but...

That's when my kage bunshin disappeared, allowing the memories to flood to my head.

My entire body suddenly twitched before I ran full-force towards Kabuto. I easily grabbed ahold of his head and smashed it into the ground, my eyes wide as a serious expression sat on my face.

He grit his teeth before glaring past my fingers into my eyes.

I chuckled at the feeling of my skin being peeled away. It's not as good as his, that's for sure. I picked him up before slamming him into the ground once again. "Your genjutsu sucks."

"What?!" The teenager exclaimed as pain filled his voice.

I threw him up into the air before kneeling down. "No time like the present to attempt killing yourself."

"Ren! You know you're not allowed to use that move!" Gai-sensei yelled down at me.

"Ren's busy at the moment, but you can leave a message," I sassed as I jumped up behind Kabuto. I wrapped my arms around his torso before quickly turning our bodies around rapidly into the air. "Primary Lotus!" I move back just before my body could be slammed into the ground, watching apathetically as Kabuto released a small scream of pain. I felt my muscles scream at me to just lay down and die, but my mind had other ideas.

Please don't.

Oh, I'm so doing it, I replied as I ran forwards while activating my third and fourth chakra gates, my skin turning red from the blood circulation increasing. I kicked him off of the ground and into the air. I kept punching him higher and higher until I felt certain I was high enough. With a large grin, I yelled out, "Reverse Lotus!"

Kabuto grit his teeth as he tried to prepare himself for the brutal attack that was surely to come.

"Ren!" Lee-senpai yelled at me.

I ignored him as I shoved my right fist and left foot into Kabuto's body, sending him crashing into the arena hard, leaving a crater around the boy. I landed next to him and gave a laugh as my body collapsed.

Kabuto was gasping for air before spitting out a bit of blood. The boy suddenly smirk as he moved his limbs around. "Ah, I wasn't expecting it to be that bad..."

Bitch, what the fuck?! I internally screeched as my body was ready to disappear.

Definitely works for Orochimaru.

You think I can't see that?! I yelled angrily.

Sorry.

I grit my teeth as he stood up shakily. "Ugh, you're such an asshole. I thought I was bad..."

He chuckled as he spit out a bit of blood. "That was a dangerous technique. It looks like you can't really move anymore."

"Yeah," I agreed as my muscles screamed at me, begging for death.

Kabuto pulled a kunai out before quickly lunging forwards.

Now!

I forced my body to move on pure adrenaline and will power alone. I grabbed his wrist and pulled it out of the way. I then kicked his face as hard as I could manage. I wrapped my right leg around his head and used my momentum to swing around to his backside. I pulled out a kunai before making a few quick slices into his back. As I jumped away, I made my special handsigns quickly. "Saku: Kuro no Hasu!"

He chuckled as he turned around, his kunai still in his grasp. "You won't get me that easily."

"Maybe, maybe not," I chirped before mixing my chakra together. I then extended my hands out towards him and mumbled, "Fueru."

Kabuto-san began to run towards me before suddenly halting, his foot barely raised off of the ground. He shook as a slightly frightened look showed up on his face.

I gave a small chuckle as black lotuses began to bloom from the blood that was coming from random spots on his body. "Aren't they pretty? They share their name with my own." I tapped the ground twice with my right foot as my grin widened.

A hand came out of the ground and grabbed onto Kabuto's left ankle. "Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu." My real self replaced himself with Kabuto and grinned down at the grey-haired teenager. "You know what they say! The nail that sticks up the most is the one that gets hammered down!"

Kabuto didn't reply as he began to cough violently.

"Hey, we probs shouldn't kill him," I said as my eyes briefly flickered towards Orochimaru.

"That's exactly why we want to kill him," he objected as he smacked my head, nearly causing me to disappear.

"Wh... What is this...?" Kabuto managed to ask through his panting and coughing.

"Hm? Oh, well that's my jutsu. I designed it as a method of torture when I was still a little shit," Ren answered while motioning to our rather short height as a six-year-old. "It's pretty effective, huh? I've gotten it pretty much perfected over these past few years!"

"You... made this?" He panted as pain showed in his eyes.

The white-haired boy chuckled as he knelt down in front of the enemy.

I just fell on my ass behind the enemy, my muscles pretty much tearing themselves apart at that point.

"Yep. But there's no need to tell him that, especially since he's here now," my original answered softly.

That's when I stopped the Saku Hasu jutsu.

"You think I wouldn't notice?" Ren asked with a chuckle. "I'd be a moron to miss it. Besides, I already put a chakra seal on him. I can locate him wherever, whenever. And I also have one on you. I'm not going to let either of you go either."

Kabuto suddenly smirked as he asked, "Oh really?"

"Hah! You caught my bluff!" He exclaimed as he bounced up to his feet. "Why the fuck would I want to go anywhere near that freak? They're nothing he could offer me that I'd be interested in. Besides..." My original lifted up his right foot, his smile darkening once again. He gave a loud chuckle as he allowed the strength in his leg to be at its maximum for just a moment. My original then slammed his foot down on Kabuto's head just hard enough to give him a concussion, knock him out, and cause some bleeding. "You're not good enough for me. I love a good challenge, which he'll give if I'm on the opposing side, right?" He lifted his foot up and smiled down at the unconscious head below.

And then boom, I'm done existing.

Wow, the lotuses really fucking hurts. I'm glad I replaced myself, I noted as I rubbed my arms and legs. I then recalled my last thought before my bunshin's memories entered my own. I mean, would it hurt to kill him?

I don't think anyone else knows about this little rat yet. If I kill him, it could look bad on my record, Maso replied.

If I tell them now-

It could trigger Orochimaru. Wait until he's gone, Maso commanded, making me nod.

"Of course," I said as my chakra gates closing themselves. "Man, what I wouldn't give for a nice hot bath right now..."

You wouldn't give up Sakura.

I deadpanned and thought, Yeah, no shit dip.

It's pretty annoying, isn't it?

I ignored the little fucker as Hayate checked Kabuto's pulse. "Are we done yet?"

Hayate gave a nod as he stood up. "The winner of the first round is Haruno Ren!"

"Whoop whoop! I'll be in charge of bets for the next ten rounds, so hand your money over!" I announced while giving a grin towards the other genin.

Kakashi-sensei shunshined down and punched the top of my head, sending me crashing into the ground. "You're not going to gamble! You're going down to the medical bay and get treated immediately!"

"It's just holding money! I'm not gonna charge interest! And my body isn't that bad!" I exclaimed, only to be hit again. "I'm not the fucking masochist! Leave my head alone!"

"Then change out, or whatever you do!" He demanded.

"Why? Don't like me?" I growled before Gai-sensei appeared before me. "Can we not do this right now? I was given permission to fight without restraint."

"What you did was beyond foolish, and you can't chalk that up to just being youthful! You directly went against the rules!" Gai-sensei scolded, making me roll my eyes.

"Technically, I didn't," I said, making the black-haired man pause. "Yeah, take the time to process that, and then spread that shit around in case no one else knows."

That's when the medical nins showed up with a stretcher. They examined me, scolded me, and then dragged me back to the room I was originally prisoner in.

But little did they know, I was an expert at escaping. I was simply wasting my time until Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei had calmed down enough for me to return.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

After a long while passed, I teleported to Sakura's side. "What'd I miss?"

She jumped before swatting my head. "Get back to the medical bay right now!"

"But they healed me!" I whined as I gave up control over the body.

Fucking finally, Maso grumbled as he took the reigns.

"I don't care! You need your rest!" She yelled at me.

"Nu-uh. I've slept for two days straight. I don't need more rest," I sassed, my hands on my hips.

My little sis growled at me while shaking her fist.

"How dare you?!" Gai-sensei yelled as he suddenly punched me into the wall.

Oh, this is the shit, I thought as pleasure ran down my spine. I peeled myself from the wall and looked back at him with slight confusion. "What'd I do?"

"You not only did the primary lotus, but you also did the reversal! You know you're not allowed!" Gai-sensei scolded, his hands on his hips.

"Actually, you only said I can't attempt it again. You never said anything about pulling the moves off," I corrected, earning another punch, that one sending me just a bit further than the last. I quickly returned to the man and listened to his scoldings.

"You aren't supposed to do anything with those techniques, and you're also not supposed to use the hachimon! Did you forget about last time?!" The man with rather well-defined cheekbones continued.

"No. But since I took my seals off, I'm all clear," I said, making him pause for a split-second in confusion. "Long story. Please continue, Gai-sensei."

"I can't forgive your actions, Ren!" He announced.

"Oh, right!" I exclaimed before holding up my index finger. I looked past him and saw that Kakashi-sensei was gone with Uchiha. I also saw that Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen, so I rushed over to Hokage-sama. "Hey, old man."

"Not now, brat," Anko said as she stepped into my path.

"Yes right fucking now. Where did Orochimaru go?" I hissed softly at her, making her click her teeth.

"We don't know. It's none of your concern anyway. We took it over," she said before motioning for me to go back.

"How could you say that? The fucker was literally right there," I whispered while motioning to where the Otogakure sensei was just previously standing.

"What?" Anko asked as her brown eyes widened.

I stared at her blankly before angrily whispering, "Are you fucking telling me you dickheads didn't realize the snake was right there?!"

"You were probably mistaken," she replied, getting herself under control.

"Yeah, because I could mistake the person I put a fucking chakra seal on," I snapped, only for Hokage-sama to step in.

"Let's calm down. You're 100% sure?" Hokage-sama asked me seriously.

"I'm willing to bet all the money I own on it," I replied truthfully, making his eyes darken. "Where are Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke? Orochimaru may have gone after them."

The old man gave a small sigh. "Kakashi took Sasuke to put a seal-"

I teleported to Duckass immediately and got ready to pull out a kunai. I saw the darkness of the room before spotting the snake smirking at Kakashi-sensei.

"Ah, speaking of which..." Orochimaru trailed off as his eyes landed on me.

"You spoke of the devil, and now he's here," I stated as my eyes narrowed, my teeth barred angrily.

Kakashi-sensei immediately grabbed me and pulled me behind him. "You're not getting either of them."

"Oh, I only intend on gaining the Uchiha blood. I find the other boy more as a potential experiment really," Orochimaru stated, making a small shiver run up my spine.

Kakashi-sensei's grip on me tightened as his muscles tensed up even more. He was ready to spring into action should Orochimaru decide to attack.

"Hey, boy, have you ever heard of mokuton?" Orochimaru questioned, completely ignoring my teacher's presence.

I narrowed my eyes at the snake as I peeked around my sensei. "Of course. Shodai Hokage-sama was an expert at it as the Senju blood ran through his veins. But my technique has nothing to do with their clan! I don't have any Senju blood!"

"How very interesting..." The yellow-eyed man mused before chuckling. "It appears I have to do some research on you."

I held up a middle finger. "Fuck yourself."

Kakashi-sensei shoved my hand down before pushing him behind me once again.

I gave an annoyed sigh before just shoving Kakashi-sensei to the side a bit. I internally cringed when Orochimaru used his paralysis genjutsu on my sensei, but continued forth nonetheless. "Why the fuck are you interested in me?! I have zero interest in you!"

"That's for me to know," he cooed, making me cringe back a bit.

"Okay... Creepy..." I then smirked and put my hands on my hips. "So Kabuto's your little spy, huh?"

"You found out?" Orochimaru asked, his smile becoming just a bit forced.

"That's right. Your paralysis genjutsu... Kabuto really can't pull it off as well as you," I stated as my body posture gave off as much sass as humanly possible. "And that's not adding in the fact that him failing so many times in a row is super fucking suspicious. Then again, he gave himself away when showing us his info cards to help us as the beginning. You wanted Uchiha from the start, right? You used Kabuto to give Duckass here some pointers and help him through the exam, especially when the second part came around. I'm assuming his teammates are also in on it."

"Yes, you're certainly a prodigy," Orochimaru stated while licking his lips.

I chuckled softly before pointing at his face. "That's right. And this prodigy knows you're weak right now."

"Oh?" He asked, amusement clear on his face.

"That's right," I agreed as I crossed my arms. "You can't beat Itachi, so you settled for second best and went after Sasuke. Am I right?"

"Ku ku ku... That theory of yours is very entertaining, however-"

"You can't beat the mangekyō," I interrupted, making him jolt.

"You... know about it, huh?" The sannin asked as his smile showed his frustration.

"Of course I do. I also know Itachi's move set like the back of my hand," I boasted before pointing at my left eye. "Sannin or not, I'm impressed you could handle it."

The man remained silent though the way he glared at me told me all I needed to know.

I gave a small chuckle as I closed my eyes and crossed my arms once again. "Though, since I know all about it, I can also say with great certainty that you're getting weaker. Not only that, but you're using a jutsu that's running out of time, and fast."

"And just how do you know all of that?" Orochimaru growled at me, fury clear in his voice.

"I didn't, but my bluff seemed to work," I answered before opening my eyes. I glared straight into his eyes as I gave a wide smirk. "For a legendary S-Rank criminal, you sure are like putty in my hands. You should remember your place before you anger a manipulative little monster like myself."

The man blinked before his eyes widened in surprise. He suddenly seemed to calm himself down and gave his usual smile. "I'm glad I decided not to kill you. You're definitely proving to be interesting."

I was taken aback and felt a bit hesitant at my next move. I could no longer read his emotions and body language, leaving me in the dark about how I should manipulate him next. "I would say the same thing, but I'd never hold interest in you."

"In due time, I'm sure you will," the snake said, confidence in his voice. "Though before that, I do want to know something from you..."

"And you think I'd actually tell you the truth?" I growled.

"If you know as much about Itachi as you claim to, then explain why he left after killing his clan. Did he really do it just to test his strength, or was there something more?" Orochimaru asked.

Why the fuck would he care? It's not like knowing that will help him, unless... I chuckled softly before shaking my head. "I see, I see... Well, I have just recently discovered something interesting about Itachi in that regard, but I'm not spilling the beans that easily. I'll give you a hint though..." I put my left hand up to my collarbone, my palm hovering over my scar. My right hand, meanwhile, cupped my left elbow. "They say blood is thicker than water, but, in all actuality, the quote is wrong. You see, the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. For the sake of that brother's blood, Itachi left behind the water of the womb that connected him to his family, nuclear or otherwise."

"And you're that brother, huh?" Orochimaru questioned, making me deadpan.

"Are you fucking retarded? I was only seven years old. What sane person allows a seven-year-old to convince them to slaughter their entire clan? Man, are you on drugs or what?" I asked the moron before waving him off. "Anyway-"

He blinked a few times before giving a hum. "But that wouldn't explain that particular chakra..."

"What chakra? The only chakra I have is my own," I snapped with narrowed eyes.

Orochimaru gave me a chilling smile, indicating to me that he knew something I didn't.

Kill him.

How?! I internally screeched as I narrowed my eyes at the sannin.

I don't know! Sado screamed back.

"So you don't know everything..." Orochimaru concluded before giving a chuckle. "I wonder how you'll try to figure that out."

Aim for the balls.

That's a really low blow... I thought as I quickly pulled out a kunai. I then quickly teleported to him while swinging my kunai towards an internal organ.

The man dodged back before grabbing ahold of my arm.

"Ren!" Kakashi-sensei yelled before I held up my other hand.

"If you're not looking to use me as a pawn, and if you're not intending on killing me, what purpose do I serve you?" I questioned with narrowed eyes.

"You're going to be a very entertaining experiment for me, as I said earlier," Orochimaru replied as his grip on my arm tightened.

"I'll take a raincheck for never," I stated as panic filled my mind.

"Then how about a bet?" He asked as his smile darkened.

I can't bet with him! I internally screeched. I felt Kakashi-sensei's chakra begin to move before Orochimaru once again paralyzed Kakashi-sensei.

The snake then smiled as he extended his hand out for my left collarbone, only for me to grab it and glare at him fiercely.

"Just tell me that fucking bet or let me go," I snarled as my grip on his wrist tightened, my chakra beginning to leak out as my control had begun to slip.

"I'm willing to bet you'll leave the village soon," Orochimaru replied as that smirk of his widened.

I felt horror bubble to life in my chest. When I had the feeling of not being around much longer...

"You seem like you've already thought of that," he pointed out, making me grit my teeth.

I lowered my head as my teeth went full-on barred. "You think... you're intimidating me? Well then... Let me tell you, here and now, about this thing called being a sibling. I am not going to leave this village any time soon, and I'm sure as hell not going to leave Sakura unless I'm 100% sure it'll end up with her full approval." I lifted my head up and glared dead in his eyes, my anger pretty much exploding at that point. "I'll take that bet, and I'll put my own fucking life in the pot. You're going to lose, Orochimaru, so you best back out while you still have the brain to."

"R-Ren..." Kakashi-sensei gasped.

I tightened my grip on Orochimaru to the point of fracturing the bones that collectively made up his wrist. "Then again, your snake brain must be so fucking small that you couldn't possibly comprehend the meaning of bonds. If there's any need for proof, we can look no further than your own past. You abandoned your teammates, abandoned your village, abandoned those that held their bonds with you dear... Heh. I bet, in just over three year's time, someone is finally going to put you out of your misery."

"As amusing as that'd be, I can already tell you that you're going to lose that bet," Orochimaru replied as he tried to pull his right hand away from my grip.

I used his divided focus to jerk my right hand free from his left hand. I grabbed ahold of his hair, like an asshole, and pulled it towards me. "I never said you'd stay dead, but physically... You're a goner. And I'd go so far as to say that the Uchiha you desire to possess will be the one to end your pathetic excuse of a life."

Someone suddenly wrapped their arms around me and jerked me back, causing my grip to loosen on Orochimaru from the shock of it.

Said snake quickly jumped back, allowing the person who grabbed me to jump back as well, me still in their grasp. The snake glared at me fiercely as he held his right forearm. "You're going to regret this, Haruno Ren."

"The only thing I'll regret is not getting a good punch in before you bite the dust," I growled out.

With gritted teeth, Orochimaru took his leave, his eyes promising that he wasn't done with whatever he was planning.

Kakashi-sensei shook slightly as he pulled me impossibly closer to him. His breath came out in short pants as he put the majority of his weight on me. Of course, the two of us ended up on the floor before he asked, "What were... you thinking...?"

I grit my teeth as I got the majority of my anger under control. "I don't know... I've never been that angry before without someone hurting Sakura pretty bad." I gave a deep sigh before leaning against him, my eyes closing. "When he grabbed me, I just started..." I made a loud noise of frustration, unable to make words out of the emotions I felt.

"We'll talk about it later," Kakashi-sensei mumbled as he dropped his head down on my left shoulder.

I took in a deep breath before finally shoving all of my emotions down. "Right, right. Are you okay? That paralysis genjutsu is pretty bad."

The man tensed up behind me. "You... You also went through it, right?"

"The first time was probably the worst," I mumbled as I remembered being ripped to mere shreds by the wind. I opened my eyes as the feeling of the kunai piercing through my skull sent shivers down my spine. "The second time, I managed to overcome it halfway by a mere fluke. And then Kabuto tried using it on me, but it wasn't nearly as effective as it was when Orochimaru used it."

"I see... In any case, you really need to stop doing such stupid things," Kakashi-sensei scolded before adding softly, probably not realizing he had said it out loud, "You're going to kill me from worry."

"I'm rather impulsive, but I'll get it under control once the chunin exams are over," I promised.

The jônin released a huff of annoyance. "I didn't mean by sealing yourself away, which I still don't approve in the slightest."

"I've gotten everything worked out. There's no need to worry," I assured the man before trying to get up. I failed to get far as Kakashi-sensei's grip tightened. I was pressed tightly against his chest and looked over my shoulder with a raised brow. "Er... Something wrong?"

"I want you to promise me something," Kakashi-sensei stated, causing me to frown.

"I'm not exactly the best with promises..." I said as I looked away, internally cringing at the mere thought of making such a pact.

"I want you to promise me that you'll at least consider some repercussions before you throw yourself into a dangerous situation," the silver-haired man requested.

Yeah... Not gonna happen... I thought as I gave a deep sigh. "I'll try. That's the best I can do."

"I need you to try hard then," he said as he looked at me with pain in his black eye.

I stared silently for a second before making a slightly disgusted face. I actually want to say yes. He's becoming a key player in my everybody. Fuck, how is he becoming an everybody? Just earlier today I said he'd never become close. Why is this happening to me? I'm going through an emotional crisis at the age of 12. What the fuck is wrong with me?

"I see..." Kakashi-sensei mumbled as he released his hold on me. He stood up and turned his back on me, his focus directed at Uchiha.

I began to reach out, but stopped myself short upon feeling a burning sensation in my right arm. I pulled it back to me and moved my arm warmer. I stared down at my bruised skin that was in the shape of the snake's hand. I probably couldn't feel him increase the pressure of his grip over my own adrenaline and anger. This isn't the pleasant kind of hurt, that much is certain.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Kakashi-sensei asked, making me jump slightly. He was standing over me, looking over my shoulder like some kind of creep.

"N-no," I replied as I quickly fixed my arm warmer. "What about you? Did he do anything to you guys before I showed up?"

Kakashi shook his head as he held Uchiha like he was a sack of potatoes. "To be honest, you showed up and escalated things to an alarming height."

"I-I'm sorry," I apologized with a small bow before looking at the seal that was around Uchiha's curse seal. "Hm... That one's the fūja hōin, right? Not to be rude or anything, but how much power did you put in it?"

"For what Orochimaru may have planned...? Even this may not be enough," Kakashi-sensei answered, uncertainty clear in his tone.

I bit my lower lip before nodding. "Okay. I'll look into things on my end and see if there's anything I can do to strengthen it. I suppose I should also ask around about that curse seal too. Maybe I could find a way to remove it in the future. Hm, that'll be a lot of research."

The black-eyed man put his hand on my head, snapping me out of my rambling. "Before any of that, you need to make it through the preliminaries. Gai looked pretty upset with you, so you're going to need to explain things to him thoroughly. Besides, you need to support Sakura right now."

"Of course..." I muttered as I closed my eyes.

Kakashi-sensei ruffled before shunshining us to Konoha's hospital. He handed Uchiha over, demanding that ANBU protection was placed on the duck, before bringing us back to the tower arena.

"Kakashi-sensei! Haruno-kun!" Uzumaki-kun announced as he looked back at us.

"Hey," Kakashi-sensei replied with a mock salute.

"Yo," I said as the same time, avoiding eye-contact with practically everyone.

"What do you mean "hey"?! Kakashi-sensei, how's Sasuke-kun?! Is he alright?!" Sakura asked, completely ignoring my existence.

I pointed over at Gai-sensei before just slipping away, realizing that my presence wouldn't be missed at all. I cleared my throat as I stood next to Gai-sensei, only to be ignored. I looked to Lee-senpai, but quickly realized he was going to ignore me too. "Okay... We're going to have to do this the hard way..."

Tenten-san gave a deep sigh as she moved away, Neji also moving away out of slight respect for my nonverbal request.

"Gai-sensei, Lee-senpai..." I got onto my hands and knees, my head touching the ground as I looked at the floor with a remorseful expression. "I know that you can't possibly forgive the stupid actions of an arrogant fool such as myself. I also know that it will take some time for you two to actually trust me again, but please understand that I acted the way I did for reasons that are confidential until I've been given the okay by Hokage-sama."

Sakura gasped in surprise, making Kakashi and Naruto look at her in confusion. "He's..."

The two followed her gaze and saw Ren giving one of the most sincere bows possible to Gai and Lee.

"I've only seen him to that twice before," Sakura mumbled, catching their attention.

"Really?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yeah. Both times he ended up crying, and... They were both times that he apologized to me," Sakura explained softly, making the jônin's eye narrow slightly.

"What happened?" Naruto asked tactlessly.

"Well, the first time was..." Sakura trailed off as she looked away. She soon looked back at Ren and said, "Um, the second time was when we were both around seven years old, I think. We were visiting him in the hospital-"

"Why was he in the hospital?" The blonde interrupted rudely.

The girl gained an irked look before replying, "Because he was found unconscious in the middle of the street by the village gates the previous night. Now would you let me finish?"

"S-sorry," The kyūbi host apologized.

Sakura cleared her throat before looking at her brother once again. "When we got to his room, he suddenly bowed down at my feet. He apologized and made me the one promise he hasn't broken."

"What do you mean by that?" Kakashi questioned.

The girl rubbed the back of her neck with a slightly unsure expression. "Well... Ren has always been bad at keeping promises. He typically doesn't last more than a week without breaking one. But that promise..."

"What was it?" The silver-haired man pressed.

"Ren promised that he'd do everything he could to make, and keep, me happy." Sakura looked down at the ground as she allowed details about the memory to fill up her mind. "It came out of nowhere really. We hadn't even said anything when he threw himself at the ground. He broke down crying and wouldn't stop no matter what we said. He kept insisting upon me accepting that promise, and he's kept it ever since."

"You said it was when you were seven, right?" Kakashi questioned, earning a nod and a confused expression. That'd place it around the time Itachi left. If what Ren said was true about him meeting Itachi on the night he killed his clan, something more must have happened. If it honestly effected Ren that badly, Itachi probably did something more than that carving.

"Is something wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura inquired, snapping the man from his thoughts.

"No, not really. Your brother must have a special place in his heart for those two if he's willing to bow down like that, right?" The sharingan-wielder asked.

"No... During those two times, what Ren was like..." Sakura lifted her head up before looking Kakashi dead in the eyes. "This isn't out of sadness. If you look at the way Ren's holding himself, then it's clear he really respects those two. He's apologizing like that because he honestly means it and wants those two to know that he means it. I believe that is what Ren's goal is."

Kakashi blinked a few times in surprise before looking over at his amber-eyed student. He stared at Ren for a moment, and then everything became clear to him. Sakura is right. He wants to convey his message with the utmost sincerity. But if that is the case, then all the other times he's apologized so far... Was he not actually sorry, or is this something that means a lot to him? Just how connected are Gai's team and my student?

And of course, Naruto just stood there in baffled, the majority of the conversation flying over his head as he stared at Ren with confusion all over his face.

Lee-senpai was the first to break. He gave a deep sigh before kneeling down. "Is it really that bad, Ren-kun?"

"It's a matter of national security, so yes, it's really that bad," I said as I kept my eyes directed at the floor.

Gai-sensei gave a rather annoyed sigh as he finally stopped giving the silent treatment. "Once you're allowed to talk about it, I want you to explain everything."

"Of course," I said before Lee-senpai put his hand on my shoulder.

"We were worried, you know," the green-clad boy said softly. "The last time you tried the primary lotus, you ended up in pretty bad shape. You also promised to not ever try using the chakra gates after the catastrophe that it caused. So considering that you used both and then went ahead and did the reversal move... You could have killed yourself."

I quickly pulled my lips into a smile as tears formed in my eyes. "Yes, I understand. I'm truly a... horrible person."

Gai-sensei brought his foot down of my head, smashing it into the ground with a nice heel-kick. "Idiot! Saying such things will not rectify the situation! If you truly feel sorry, then get up and show us you're fine!"

"R-right," I mumbled as I quickly got to my feet. I wiped the blood coming from my nose with my arm warmer and kept my eyes directed towards the ground. "Um... I-I really am sorry."

"Making mistakes is a part of youth," Gai-sensei's said, although it was clear he was still a bit upset with me.

My hands fell to my side as my head tilted down. "Yes, but as you said earlier, it simply can't be chalked up to youth. My actions will surely cause several problems in the future."

"Idiot!" Gai-sensei delivered a solid punch to my face, sending me flying into the railing.

As my body dented the metal pipes, I groaned in both pleasure and annoyance.

"Ren! Listen up, and listen up well!" Gai-sensei demanded, causing me to immediately stand before him with a serious expression. "It's true that I said your actions weren't merely youthful mistakes. It's also true, however, that you've realized the errors in your ways. Therefore, we're going to call it even here!"

"Even?" I repeated questioningly.

"As Lee here-" Gai-sensei put his hand on Lee-senpai's shoulder. "-said earlier, we were worried. I allowed that worry to control my words, which you've clearly taken to heart. I shouldn't have pushed it so hard when you had your reasons, but I also have my own. You're apologetic, as am I right now. So we'll call it even and go forwards from there."

"Of course," I agreed, only to receive two annoyed expressions. "Er... Is... there something I missed from that?"

"Ren! It's high-time that you return to your youthful self!" Gai-sensei declared, earning a nod of approval from Lee-senpai.

That's easier said than done right now, I thought while looking away. "Yeah... About that... I'm going to need a solid five minutes of alone time before I can be normal again..."

"Then please take those five minutes of alone time immediately!" Lee-senpai exclaimed, making me look at him in surprise. "I- uh- We want you to recover as soon as possible, Ren-kun!"

"Ah, right," I muttered before forcing a smile. "I'll be back soon."

"We're waiting!" Gai-sensei yelled as Lee-senpai nodded along.

I gave a nod before walking back over to my team. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom quickly."

"You'll miss the next fight," Kakashi-sensei pointed out.

"Puppet Bitch will win," I said, waving him off as I headed off to clear my head.

Of course, that time was spent finding empty rooms so I could freely throw around furniture to calm myself down.

I soon returned with all of the stress out of my system. I felt somewhat better, but I wasn't perfect as I brought myself up to the second floor. I saw that the match between Kankuro and the other Orochimaru spy was ending, so I looked at Sakura pleadingly. "I need you to punch my face."

"No," she said, not even sparing me a single glance.

"Please?" I asked, only for her to push me away. I huffed before looking at Kakashi-sensei. "Please punch me."

"What?" The man asked as he looked down at me with alarm.

"Punch my face," I stated, making him look away.

"Uh... Is that really-"

"Either punch me, or I'm actually going to start betting," I snapped.

He punched the top of my head and yelled, "For the last time, you're not betting!"

I allowed the pain to turn to pleasure and quickly returned to my old self. "Heh. I bet you're just jealous that my betting skills are better than yours."

"No, I'm angry because it's another thing to add to the pile of your already existing delinquency," the sharingan-wielder replied with a narrowed eye.

"Psh! No one yelled at the Legendary Sucker when she was still a kid!" I yelled stubbornly.

"Well she didn't break into various places, lie to ANBU officers' faces, and more," he sassed.

"Cut me some slack. Every child goes through a rebellious stage," I muttered as I looked away.

"What child is so rebellious, they'd literally break into high-security places just for some highly-guarded documents?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

I looked away for a split-second as several names came to mind. "Do...? Do you really want me to answer that, or...?"

"What people did you associate with when you were still young?!" He exclaimed.

"A now S-Rank criminal, an apparently suicidal person, Kiba-"

"Don't bring me into this!" Kiba barked at me, making me realize that practice everyone else was listening in on my argument with Kakashi-sensei.

"-Akamaru," I continued, ignoring Dog-Boy, "That one ANBU member that was assigned to watch me for a while when I was still a little kid-"

"Wait, what?" Kakashi-sensei asked, making me pause.

"Oh! I never told you that story!" I exclaimed as a large grin came to my face.

Sakura immediately started snickering and covered her mouth to hide her amusement.

"Okay, so it all started during the Natsu Festival back when I was, like, four. So I played kingyo sukui at the festival, right? I managed to get myself a goldfish that I named Tsukuyomi. Naturally, he died within a week because he was a festival goldfish. I was so distraught over the fact he died, that my parents got me a newt to replace the dead goldfish." I took a moment to force down the laughed that wanted to bubble up. "I- Hehe- I named him Haku."

"Is this the story you started talking about on the bridge?" Kakashi-sensei questioned, making me nod.

"Now, shut up. Okay, so I felt that my newt was feeling lonely one day, so I convinced Sakura to help me sneak him out and take him to a nearby training ground with a creek so we could find him a girlfriend," I explained, only to see that Kakashi-sensei was already facepalming as Sakura was starting to lose her shit in the background. I quickly flipped him the bird before continuing on. "We got there and played around in the creek while trying to find him a girlfriend, right? We didn't find any, so I had packed up Haku again and was waiting for Sakura when all of a sudden, out of fucking nowhere, these arrows start falling from the sky!"

The jônin raised a brow skeptically.

"I ended up freaking out and dropped Haku's little jar, causing it to break. Haku, bless his little newt soul, started walking back towards the creek like a man on a mission. I dived for him, only to get an arrow through my knee. I watched on in horror as Haku walked through the storm of arrows as Sakura stood frozen just out of way of the arrows. Everything fell silent as an arrow pierced the ground before Haku. Haku stared at the arrow for a few seconds before simply walking over the arrow. Shock came to Sakura and I as we watched that newt literally crawl over all the arrows before making it to the bank of the creek. He looked back at us, and in that moment, we understood..."

Sakura had stopped her giggling, probably remembering the way that Haku looked back at us.

"He had to leave, and he was never coming back. His destiny was taking him towards places unknown, and he had to follow it. We knew all of that..." I stopped the dramatics and smiled once again. "Mainly because he, who was actually a she, told us."

"Wait, what?" Kakashi-sensei asked, clearly not understanding anything that was happening.

"Yeah. As it turns out, a criminal broke into the village and ended up transforming herself into a newt that my parents just-so-happened to buy. When we brought her out there, she decided to escape no matter the cost. At the same time we were there, a group of shinobi were going through some training, and she used their arrows to aid in her escape." I giggled as I remembered the face Sakura made when Haku started talking. "Oh gods, it was hilarious. You see, she had started to float away in the river when I lunged for her and grabbed her tightly. She didn't tell us she was a shinobi, you see, so I thought she was just a talking newt, right?"

Sakura began laughing again until she started choking on her spit. She slammed her fist into her chest a few times, but the smile never left her face.

"So-" I released a few loud laugh as I covered my hands with my face. "So then- fuck- Ahem. That's when the ninjas that were training found us. Of course, they immediately notice the arrow sticking through my knee and rushed over. I was so busy screaming at Haku and flailing her around that I totally forgot about the arrow."

"No, no. You forgot it," Sakura butted in as she smacked my shoulder.

"What?" I asked only to see her motioning to my missing detail. "Oh! That's right! Fuck, you're right!" I then waved my hands around while trying to get myself under control. "Okay, okay. As they found us, one the shinobi yell out, "Oh my gosh, are you okay?!" And I yelled back, "Does it look like I'm okay?! I've found Omoikane in newt form! My pet newt can speak!" It was-" I burst out laughing while holding my gut.

Sakura slapped my back a few times while holding her gut in her other arm. "Those ninja all looked at Ren like he was crazy! You should have seen their faces! It was like they were looking down at a drunken mental patient!"

"That fucking newt was so terrified, it literally flopped over and pretended to be dead!" I continued on. "I refused to let her go, even as I was literally being carried to the hospital! All throughout out the process of getting the arrow removed, I screeched like a banshee if anyone so much as looked towards my newt!" I coughed a few times before finally managing to get my laughter under control. "In order to keep my mind off of the pain, one nurse talked to me about Haku. That's when one of the people there, who just so happened to be a medical nin, asked to see my newt. He said he wanted to see if my newt was a summoning, which I was totally excited for, right? I mean, my talking newt could have been a ninja summoning! So I showed him Haku, and he immediately grabs it and threw it at the ground as hard as he could. I was freaking out when a puff of smoke suddenly filled the room because I thought he killed my newt for some odd reason."

Sakura finally managed to get herself under control, but still used me as support until she could properly hold her own body up.

"That's when this fucking chick begins to rush for the window, her hair matching the color of the newt's skin. I realized she was my newt, so I, in spite of still having half of an arrow in my knee, lunge for her and manage to tackle her to the ground somehow. I demand that she turned back into a newt and wouldn't let go even as she tried to jump out of the window." I laughed as I remembered her horrified face when she realized that she couldn't get me to let her go. "So then, an ANBU member shows up, right? Apparently Sakura had explained everything to a few of the shinobi, and one of them remembered that there was possibly a criminal still in Konoha. So on a hunch, they reported it to a passing-by ANBU member. That ANBU guy didn't realize that I was hanging onto her, so when he came out of nowhere and slammed her into the ground, I was crushed under her."

Kakashi-sensei's face suddenly morphed into a expression of realization as he mumbled, "The Hospital Newt Incident..."

"Oh my gods! You've heard about it?!" I asked as a large grin practically split my face in half.

"I remember that Risu had to do so much paperwork afterwards from one of her subordinates, she was a living hell to work with for the next month straight. All she talked about was Ahiru's mess up that nearly caused a kid's spine to break in half," Kakashi explained before looking down at me. "You were that kid, weren't you? And after everything was said and done, Hitsuji had to follow you around in order to make sure you weren't dealing with any permanent injuries or the like."

"And by the like, you mean he had to make sure I wasn't going to hate Konoha or anything, right?" I asked with a smirk and a raised brow.

The man with the name akin to a scarecrow shrugged. "Protocol is protocol."

I shook my head before waving it off. "So anyway, I needed to stay in the hospital for, like, three days after getting smashed into the ground like that. And so, long story short, my sister and I were banned from ever having a pet ever again."

"Ren forgot to add in how he had an obsession with seeing if animals could talk for the next year. Every time he saw an animal, he tried getting it to speak until either our parents or I dragged him away. He typically screeched loud enough to get the birds to fly away when we did that." Sakura snickered at my embarrassment expression. "And the thing that stopped that obsession was the takoyaki incident."

"You can't speak of it!" I screamed as I covered her mouth. "We agreed to never speak of that day again! Why are you trying to forsaken me?!"

"What's... the takoyaki incident?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he looked between the two of us with a raised brow.

Sakura smirked widely behind the hands that covered her mouth, an evil glint entering her eyes.

"For the love of all that is somewhat sacred in my life, please don't tell him," I requested as I moved my hands to her shoulders.

As she chuckled, I began to fear for the worst. She opened her mouth, only for Uzumaki-kun to butt into the conversation while pointing down at Kankuro.

"2 on 1 is cheating! That's allowed, Kakashi-sensei?!" The blonde yelled.

"It's not cheating... That's just a doll," Kakashi-sensei explained while looking at the idiot with disappointment.

"That's puppeteering jutsu. It's controlling a doll and using it as a weapon with your chakra. It's the same as a shuriken or any other tool," Sakura explained.

I saw that the idiot still didn't understand, so I gave a deep sigh. "Hey, did you play with action figures when you were a kid? It's like that, only bigger... And a weapon."

"Oooh!" Uzumaki-kun said loudly, making Sakura deadpan behind me. "Geez! There's a bunch of weirdos here."

"Like you're one to talk..." Kakashi-sensei commented.

"Haha, good one!" Sakura said, earning a nod of approval from me.

Kakashi-sensei leaned down and out a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "This is no time for laughing. Sakura..." He pointed towards the green screen and said, "Look."

I looked as well, and my eyes widened in shock from the sight.

Haruno Sakura

VS

Yamanaka Ino

"Shit..." I mumbled as my shoulders sagged quite a bit. I wasn't predicting a good outcome for either of the participates in the next fight...


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Sakura and Ino-chan stood across from each other, the air tense as they seemed nervous, yet determined at the same time.

Ino-chan finally looked away with a somewhat saddened expression. "Sakura... I never thought I'd be fighting you."

Sakura didn't reply, and instead grabbed ahold of her headband. She undid it and quickly pulled it off of her head, making Ino-chan look at her in surprise.

"Wh... What?" Uzumaki-kun asked, confusion leaking out of him in waves.

"Those two? This could get annoying..." Shikamaru-san grumbled.

"Is Ino gonna be alright?" Chouji-san asked as he leaned against the railing.

I'm worried, too, I thought as my mind drifted down memory lane.

Sakura was sobbing next to me as I gently rubbed circles into her back.

A blonde-haired girl began walking over to us, earning a sharp glare from me as I hugged my sister close. She knelt down and said, "Everyone always calls you "Billboard Brow," and picks on you."

My little sister flinched as I growled angrily at the blonde. "Who are you...?"

"My name is Yamanaka Ino. What's yours?" She asked.

"I'm Sakura... Haruno Sakura..." My sister answered shyly.

Yamanaka then looked at me expectantly.

"Haruno Ren," I stated simply.

"So, are you cousins or something?" Yamanaka questioned.

"W-we're twins," Sakura replied, making the other girl's blue eyes widen in surprise.

"Twins, huh?" She then brushed it off and turned her attention towards my sister. "I can't help noticing..." She put her index finger on my sister's forehead. "You do have a high forehead, so of course you get teased." She put her hairband under my sister's bangs and pushed them up a bit as my sister began to cry even more. "And you hide behind all of that hair... like a sheepdog... or a shy little ghost."

I growled at her for insulting my sister and was ready to shove her away, maybe beat her up to get a point across.

However, before that, she gave a surprised look before suddenly smiling. She turned heel and began walking away while looking over her shoulder. "Tell you what, Sakura-chan... Meet me here again tomorrow, okay?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked as I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"I'll make it worth your while... so don't stand me up," Yamanaka explained.

Sakura looked at me in confusion. She clearly wanted my opinion on the subject.

I gave a small shrug in reply. "She doesn't seem to want to tease you..."

"Should we...?" The girl trailed off while looking away.

"I guess..." I mumbled

The next day we came back, and Yamanaka fixed up my sister's hair and added a cute red ribbon. She had parted the bangs on my sister's head, making her forehead clear for all to see.

'How is this worth her while? You just made it easier for the bullies to pick on her,' I internally growled as I watched on with crossed arms.

"It's much cuter like this, Sakura-chan," Yamanaka stated before adding in, "You can keep the ribbon."

"Th-thanks... But..." Sakura trailed off, her thought process clearly the same as mine.

"But what?" Yamanaka asked, her hands on her hips.

"People can see my forehead!" My little sister exclaimed.

"The only reason they tease you about it is because you've made it obvious you're sensitive. Don't play their game. Show it off! Let the world see that pretty face! Strike a pose!" Yamanaka demanded, really boosting my sister's confidence level.

I blinked a few times as admiration became clear on Sakura's face. I then frowned and looked away. 'Why didn't I ever think of that? I'm such a bad big brother.'

"Hey! You!" Ino-san yelled while pointing at me.

I blinked before looking over at her while pointing at my own face. "Uh, me?"

"Yes, you! Come here! Let me fix your hair too!" Ino-san demanded.

"My hair is fine," I said as I covered the top of my head with my arms.

"It's a rat's nest!" The blonde yelled at me accusingly.

"Ren..." Sakura called out, making me turn my attention to her. She had a pleading look, so I broke down.

"Fine," I grumbled as I walked over to her. I sat down and put up with her brushing my hair. I allowed my face to show my displeasure, but the two girls just giggled at my discomfort.

"Hm... Your hair is pretty soft," Ino-san said softly as she ran her fingers through my locks. "I think it'd look better if you cut your hair in the back and kept your bangs as long as they are now."

"Why bother? It'll just grow back," I pointed out, making Ino-san sigh.

"How are you going to get any girl's attention with an attitude like that?" The blonde snapped.

"Why should I care about that?" I asked with great confusion.

Ino-san gave a deep sigh as she facepalmed. "Boys." She then straightened up and asked, "What kind of girl do you see as pretty?"

"Sakura," I replied without missing a beat.

"Yeah, but choose a different girl," she demanded.

"Um..." I looked at the ground in confusion while trying to think of another girl that I saw as pretty. Nothing really came to mind, so I shrugged.

"Okay... What do you think looks good on a person?" Ino-san tried.

"What does that mean?" I muttered.

"Long hair, long eyelashes, things like that," the blue-eyed girl answered before motioning for me to list few things off.

I hummed as I closed my eyes. With my brows furrowed and my right index finger on my lower lip, I said, "Well... I like Shisui-senpai's eyes and his long eyelashes... Hmm... And I guess I like Itachi-senpai's smile... I also think beauty marks are pretty cute."

"So... You like boys?" Ino-san finally inferred.

"Eh?" I mumbled as I looked at her in confusion.

"You like boys," she stated, a bit firmer that time. It was a definite statement that time, and not a question.

"I guess..." I said with a small shrug before asking, "Is that bad?"

"It's kinda weird, but-" Ino-san gave a shrug. "-whatever. Now follow me."

Sakura and I looked at each other for a moment before following after the blonde. We followed her to a place were two other people were.

My sister hid away behind me at the sight of people she didn't know.

I, as a strong big brother, stood up as tall as I could while trying to make myself seem even bigger.

"Hey, Ino-chan! Who're your new friends?" The girl asked.

"This is Ren-kun and Sakura-chan," Ino-san replied before looking over at us with a smile. "Say hello."

"How do you do?" Sakura asked sheepishly while peeking around me, a shy smile on her lips.

"Hey," I stated as I crossed my arms.

The girl gave a small blush as she waved at me.

I hesitantly waved back before Ino-san grabbed my sister and I. I was dragged over to the others, my sister right at my side.

We were then forced to socialize and get to know the group.

A little while later, after Sakura and I had become more comfortable with the group, Sakura had begun to develop her self-confidence. She no longer needed to rely on me as a shield, so I was starting to feel down.

"Where's Sakura-chan?" Ino-chan asked as she saw me walking towards the group's usual meeting spot with my hands in my pockets.

I gave a shrug. "She's coming."

"Why are you all sad?" The other guy of the group asked.

"This is just my face," I said as I gave him an unamused look.

Ino-chan sighed before pulling me aside. "You've been really sad lately. What's up?"

"Nothing, really," I insisted.

"It's about Sakura, right?" Ino-chan inferred, making me internally groan.

"Yeah..." I saw that she wanted me to elaborate, so I begrudgingly explained the situation to her. "Sakura doesn't need me anymore, and I'm always being left out of the group."

"What? No you're not," Ino-chan replied before pausing. She suddenly seemed to realize that my words help truth to them.

"Exactly. I never get to suggest anything, and I'm always watching you guys play without me," I grumbled with crossed arms.

Ino-chan gave a hum before pointing the way I came. "Then you need to find someone to hang out with."

"I'm not leaving Sakura," I objected, putting my foot down.

"You can't follow Sakura around forever! It's time to bloom!" Ino-chan yelled at me.

"What does that even mean?" I asked, only to be forcibly turned around. I was shoved towards the road I walked here on by Ino-chan.

"Go! Now!" She yelled at me.

"But I-"

"Bloom!" The girl repeated before kicking me towards the road.

I rubbed my lower back and grumbled as I walked away, my brow furrowed. 'What the heck does bloom mean?'

Several months later, my sister came back from playing with Ino-chan looking angry, yet sad.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I closed the book I was reading.

"I heard that Ino-chan likes Sasuke-kun, too," she muttered, making me roll my eyes.

"Then I guess you're rivals," I said, disinterested in the turn of events.

"Rivals?" My little sister repeated questioningly.

"Love rivals," I clarified as I opened my book up once again. "If you both like the same boy, then you two are going to have to compete for his heart."

"Rivals..." My sister repeated as awe filled her voice. She then came to my side and asked, "Do you have a rival?"

"No. No one sees me as a rival. I'm a boring person," I explained as my eyes continued to scan over the many words in my book.

Sakura pouted before poking my cheek. "Didn't you say that you liked some person named Itachi? Does anyone else like him?"

"Yes, but I don't love him. He's just an acquaintance," I mumbled.

"Acquaintance?" She repeated questioningly.

"We're not really friends, so he's an acquaintance," I explained before flipping the page of my book.

The pinkenette huffed at me before dropping the conversation entirely, leaving me behind once again.

The next day, I was watching over the house while Otou-san was at work and Okaa-san was buying groceries. I looked over at the door as Sakura entered with a stern expression. "What happened this time?"

"I told Ino-chan that we're rivals now!" Sakura declared, making me deadpan.

"Oh... Well, have fun," I said before continuing on with staring at the ceiling.

"Also, there's some guy named Shisui outside," Sakura said as she walked towards the kitchen.

I quickly rolled off the couch and landed on my face. I ignored the pain that coursed through my nose as I rushed over to the door, my sister snickering in the background. "Watch the house for me! Thanks!"

"Have fu~n!" She yelled at me, her voice hinting at something I didn't quite understand.

I shook my head, snapping myself out of my thoughts that were running ramped.

"Right now, I have no intention of fighting over Sasuke-kun with you," Sakura stated.

"What was that?!" Ino-chan yelled angrily.

"You and Sasuke-kun don't go together anyway. And I'm completely stronger than you right now. I don't even need to be concerned with you," Sakura boasted, a slightly less cocky expression on her face than what I would have worn.

"Sakura... Who do you think you're talking to?" Ino-chan growled, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Cry-Baby Sakura."

"Umm... Hey! Sakura-chan is going too far... Ino has really scary eyes..." Uzumaki-kun said as he looked down at the two worriedly.

"Hah? She's not going far enough," I muttered before yelling, "You tell that bitch! Duckass is your man, and everyone knows it!"

"Haruno-kun?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed in shock. "What's your deal?!"

I clicked my tongue before glaring at the idiot. "Sakura isn't the type of person to brag about her strength or hurt others. She just wants Ino-chan to take her seriously, and not show mercy."

"Why are they all serious like that?" The blonde asked as he looked at the two glaring females.

You and Uchiha do that all the time, I thought as I looked at him with slight disgust.

"Well, you could say that rivalries are strange..." Kakashi-sensei stated, making Gai-sensei look at him with surprise.

"But they're also good for motivational purposes," I added in as I leaned my upper body against the railing. "For the sake of catching Sasuke's attention, those two have always fought to keep ahead of each other in terms of looks, grades, and the like. They always tried one-upping the other, getting some sort of advantage." I looked over to the shortest guy on the team and said with a grin, "In a way, it's like how you and Uchiha always duke it out, except they're more evenly matched."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at me.

I chuckled before looking back down at the two in the arena.

Ino-chan suddenly gained a look of realization before she untied the hitai-ate around her waist. She smiled as she put it on her forehead, Sakura doing the same.

They were going to fight as equals in that battle. And so, they began running towards each other.

Sakura quickly made two bunshins, causing Ino-chan to back off.

"This isn't the academy graduation exam. You think you can beat me with a textbook jutsu like that?" Ino-chan snapped before looking at the clones and Sakura carefully.

My sister smirked as she summoned her chakra to her feet. She then rocketed towards the blonde, surprising her opponent with her speed. Her clones each made false hits towards Ino-chan before disappearing, allowing Sakura to punch her rival with a clear shot to the face.

Ino-chan went flying back with a small cry of pain.

"If you think I'm the same Cry-Baby Sakura, then you'll be hurting! Get serious, Ino!" Sakura demanded.

Ino-chan smirked as she sat up and wiped her face. "I'm glad you said that. As you wish, here I come..."

"Wow! Wow! Sakura-chan rules!" Uzumaki-kun cheered, causing me to smirk.

"Her basic chakra control is perfect for a rookie. Sakura has greatly evolved," Kakashi-sensei stated, making me nod in approval.

"So she's better than me?" Uzumaki-kun asked as he looked back at Kakashi-sensei with a frown.

"Duh," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Well, yes," Kakashi-sensei answered at the same time. "The ability to gather chakra from every part of the body and then using it with great timing... In just that, she's above Sasuke. Well, in Sakura's case, from the beginning, she was always great at the control of chakra."

Said girl quickly began to dash towards Ino-chan.

The blue-eyed girl also began to run, her determination clear on her face.

They swung punches at the same time, only for the other to catch their punch. They growled as they tried pushing the other back, only to be evenly matched. Therefore, both girls retreated and pulled a shuriken from their holsters. They threw the stars at the same time, but the weapons to hit each other and prove to be ineffective after deflecting off of the other shuriken.

That kind of thing went on for ten minutes, and I was starting to get tired. I had laid my head down on my arms and was starting to drift off to sleep when they suddenly punched each other across the face.

The two of them flew back from the impact, but quickly sat up while panting.

"Whoa," Uzumaki-kun muttered.

This is going to take forever at this rate, I thought before giving a loud yawn.

Ino-chan released a small growl before yelling, "There's no way you could be even with me!"

"Heh. Of course! How could I be even with someone who only worries about growing her hair and looking pretty?" Sakura taunted.

Ino-chan grit her teeth before pulling out a kunai. "You! You better stop disrespecting me!"

"Idiot... Letting the trash talk effect you... I don't know what she's gonna do," Shikamaru-san grumbled.

"I don't like that Ino..." Choji-san added in worriedly.

Ino-chan suddenly reached up and grabbed her ponytail. Without a second thought, she cut the majority of her ponytail off.

"Heh, so simple," Sakura said aloud.

"Oraaa!" The blonde yelled as she waved her hair around. She then chucked it towards my twin while yelling, "I don't need this!"

As all the hair scattered and fell to the ground between the two girls, Uzumaki-kun muttered, "Scary."

"I'm going to end this right now!" Ino-chan declared as she made a certain handsign. "I'll make "I give up" come out of your mouth!"

"Oh shit. Here comes the kekkei genkai," I mumbled, making the blonde boy look over at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I turned his head back down towards the fight and simply said, "Watch."

"Hey! No way!" Shikamaru-san gasped.

"It can't be..." Choji-san muttered as Asuma-sensei looked down in shock.

Ino-chan thrust her arms outwards, making it obvious what jutsu she was about to use.

"I knew it... She's gonna do shintenshin!" Shikamaru-san yelled.

Asuma-sensei, meanwhile, facepalmed. "Geez... That idiot..."

"I can understand your desperation, but... that's useless," Sakura stated, knowing all about that technique.

"Bah. We'll see about that," Ino-chan replied bitterly.

"NinpÅ : Shintenshin no Jutsu. A jutsu that, by projecting your own spiritual energy at your opponent, you can use to take control of their body for a few minutes," Sakura said, displaying her knowledge to all. "But that terrifying jutsu has an important weakness... First, that projected spiritual energy flies at your opponent at a slow speed. Second, if you miss your target, it takes a few minutes to return to your own body. Basically, during that time, your body will be no more than an inanimate doll."

"So what?!" Ino-chan yelled, "We won't know until we try!"

Sakura smirked as she got ready to start running. "If you miss, it's over. You understand that, right?" And so, the pinkenette started running as Ino-chan tried following while looking through the opening she made with her hands.

"Idiot! Don't!" Shikamaru-san yelled.

The blonde appeared to ignore Shikamaru-san and slumped over. However, her chakra was stable as she put her hands to the floor.

"A ruse," I muttered, making the others look at me in confusion.

"Which one?" Shikamaru-san asked as he looked down at my sister worriedly.

Sakura began lifting her head with a smile. "Hehe... Too bad... Ino..."

"Hook, line, and sinker," I noted as I held my face in my palm.

"She's finished..." Shikamaru-san stated.

"It didn't work," Choji-san said, falsely at that.

"It's over now," Sakura said before trying to walk forwards, only to fail. She looked down and noticed the chakra that was wrapped around her ankles. "Huh?! This is...!"

"You fell for it, Sakura..." Ino-chan teased as she sat up, revealing her little ploy.

"Whoa! How could you tell?!" Uzumaki-kun asked as he looked at me with wide eyes.

"By her chakra," I replied simply.

"Phew. Finally caught you!" Ino-chan chirped.

"...No way..." My little sister said in shock, everything falling into place for her.

"Hehe... Exactly. That was an act to get you to fall into this trap," the blonde explained proudly. "So, you can't move, can you? It's a special rope using my hair and chakra."

Sakura tried breaking it, only to fail.

The blue-eyed female put her foot on her chakra string and controlled the "rope" through the sole of her sandal. She stood up confidently and began to make her special handsigns again. "Now, I just enter your body and have you give up." She extended her hands out and looked through them at my sister. "There's a 100% chance I'll succeed this time."

"I see..." Kakashi-sensei mumbled.

I gave a sigh as I stood up and put my foot on the railing. "Sakura!"

The girl looked up at me fearfully, only for her eyes to widen as I put my left hand on my right bicep, my right fist in the air. She was then hit with Ino-chan's jutsu, allowing the other female to slip inside of her mind.

"Hehe... To bad, Sakura," Ino-chan said from inside of my sister. (Wow, that sounded dirty.)

"Oi! Ino-chan~!" I called out, making Sakura look up at me. I grinned widely before yelling out, "You're about to see real hell~! Shannaro!"

"Ren, you know Sakura can't hear you, right?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

I chuckled as I looked back at him with a sadistic grin. "You think I don't know my own sister, and her Inner Sakura?"

"What does that mean?" The jÃnin asked, making me chuckle.

"There are two," I stated as my smirk widened.

His brow furrowed as he looked back down at Sakura.

"What? What's up with Ino? Plus, plus... Sakura seems strange!" Uzumaki-kun asked before throwing his right fist into the air. "But this is your chance! Do it Sakura-chan!"

"To use shintenshin there... It's over," Kakashi-sensei said, clearly not taking what I said to heart.

"Shintenshin? So right now, Sakura-san is...?" Lee-senpai trailed off.

"Yeah. Sakura's mind has been completely taken over by Ino. Ino is inside Sakura," Kakashi-sensei said, making it sound significantly dirtier than need-be. "Well... Ino's plan is most likely..."

Sakura began to smirk before raising her hand. "I... Haruno Sakura... would like to for-"

"Don't! Sakura-chan!" Uzumaki-kun yelled. "You've come this far! If you lose to that Sasuke-liking idiot, you're not a woman!"

"Bitch! How insensitive and sexist are you?!" I yelled as I kicked his side. I then pointed down at Sakura and yelled, "Exploding shampoo!"

Sakura suddenly jolted and began shaking. She lifted her hands up to her head as a pained expression filled her face. She released a small noise of shock as she shook even harder.

Heh heh... I know the best way to get Inner Sakura riled up. And don't you doubt me on that, Ino-chan, I thought as I watched on with my hands on my hips.

"What is it? You want to forfeit?" Hayate-san asked.

Sakura suddenly jolted up and began punching the air. "Forfeit?! Like hell I'll forfeit! Shannaro!"

Kakashi-sensei's eye widened in surprise.

"Huh?! What's wrong with Ino?!" Shikamaru-san exclaimed.

Inner Sakura is beating her ass - that's what, I internally answered as my smirk widened.

Sakura made a handsign as her eyes were squeezed shut.

And with that, Ino-chan returned to her own body.

"Ren! You said they're two of her?!" Kakashi-sensei asked quickly.

"There's Sakura, and then there's Inner Sakura. This kind of multiple personality disorder runs in our family, you see," I said as I stared down at my sister proudly.

"Does she also have a sado and a maso?" He inquired, making me shake my head.

"No, just the two. I'm the weirdo with three," I said before motioning for him to be quiet.

"Two minds... What are you?" Ino-chan asked through her panting.

"Didn't you know? Women have to be tough to survive," Sakura replied as, she too, panted.

The two began to smile as they got their panting under control. They than ran at each other with their fists drawn back. When their fists slammed into each other's faces, their headbands ended up flying off from the force. They were both sent skidding back from the punch to the face and tried getting up, only to flop down unconscious.

I smiled softly as I looked down at the pinkenette. You proved yourself today, Sakura. I'm proud of your strength, and I'm proud to call you my sister.

"Both fighters are unable to continue. This is a double knockout. The 4th preliminary match has no winner!" Hayate-san announced.

"What?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled in shock.

I immediately jumped down and landed next to my sister. I carefully looked her over before patting her head. "You've done well, Sakura. I'll be sure to let you brag about it for the next month."

Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei jumped down to collect their respective students, each of them still looking surprised from the outcome.

"Now..." Asuma-sensei grumbled.

"Geez..." Kakashi-sensei said at the same time.

I collected the girls' headbands before following the two teachers back up to the second floor. I laid their hitai-ate's down next to the individual it belonged to before stepping back.

"Hey, Ino!" Shikamaru-san yelled as he and Choji-san ran over.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?!" Uzumaki-kun asked loudly.

"Quiet down," I ordered as I sat on the railing with crossed arms. "They'll wake up in about half an hour. None of their injuries are serious, so the medical nins don't need to check them out."

"How do you know?" Uzumaki-kun asked with a small pout.

"After all the years of abusing me own body, I should know about these kinds on thing," I replied with a casual shrug.

"What do you mean?" He pressed.

"How can I say this...?" I asked as I closed my eyes and tilted my head back. "Mmm... I suppose the simplest way of putting it is this: I've literally been fucking my own body up for many years. I can make proper diagnoses based off of that, as well as the many medical textbooks I've ready when I was a child."

"Oh, yeah! You wanted to be a medical ninja once, right?!" The blue-eyed boy questioned.

"Once upon a time, yes," I answered with a nod as I opened my eyes. "But I'm no longer interested, so I just have all this medical knowledge stored away for later use."

"But, anyway, that was surprising," Asuma-sensei interjected, gaining everyone's attention.

"Yeah," Kakashi-sensei agreed. "I could understand Sasuke, Naruto, or Ren, but even Sakura has grown this much... Many things have happened, but from the bottom of my heart... I'm glad I entered them in this chunin exam."

Oh yeah, because having your students targeted and attacked by an S-Rank criminal is something to be glad about, I thought while giving Kakashi-sensei the evil eye.

"Hey, Haruno-kun, how did you know Ino's plan?" Uzumaki-kun asked me, making me hum.

"Ino-chan, Sakura, and I used to hang around a lot when we were kids. Ino-chan and I still occasionally hang out, but it's for a very short while," I answered, making the boy narrow his eyes.

"So you're like best friends?" He questioned.

"No. I don't really have a best friend. I'm just, kinda, there with everyone," I explained with a shrug.

"Aw, come on. Everyone has a best friend," Uzumaki-kun objected, making me huff.

"Best friends know most of the other's secrets, right?" I questioned before crossing my arms and tilting my head to the side. "If that's the case, then no one can actually claim that title. Hell, I'm pretty sure Sakura doesn't know a good half of my secrets, so no one else can really compare."

"Yeah, but don't you hang out with another person a lot?" He pressed.

"Mmm..." I closed my eyes and thought about it. "Well... Not really. I spend equal amounts of time with everybody over the course of a few days. But to be honest... I don't think that I have a strong enough bond with anyone to consider it as being best friends. Besides, thinking about it logically, holding one person over others is bound to create conflict. I know that I hold Sakura over everyone else and that sometimes creates conflict with the team. If I did that with another person, surely more troubles would arise. It seems kinda foolish. Another point to be made is how all friendship bonds should be cherished just the same. It would really suck to put more focus on one bond and this lose the other."

"That's really weird," the boy with a tacky fashion sense commented bluntly.

"Thanks, write something similar on my grave. "The weirdest fucker in existence is buried here" or something like that effect," I ordered as I gave him annoyed expression.

"Sorry," the blonde apologized despite not actually feeling sorry.

"If you don't have a favorite friend, why do you have a favorite sensei?" Kakashi-sensei sassed me.

With a straight face, I looked at him and said, "Maybe because I can list off several ways Gai-sensei is better then you."

Gai-sensei released a triumphant noise in the background.

"Oh yeah?" The jÃnin asked, his hands on his hips.

I held up a single finger. "He's a better motivational speaker." I held up a second finger. "He's not an asshole." I held up a third finger. "He never shoved a kunai to my throat and threatened me with an "I was an ANBU member once"."

"When are you going to let that go?!" Kakashi-sensei yelled at me.

"Never!" I replied as I jumped up and pointed at him. "I was hungry and emotionally unstable, and you fucking whipped around and nearly killed me! I'm never letting that go!"

"Kakashi is that harsh of a teacher, huh?" Gai-sensei asked as he gave Kakashi-sensei a slightly disgusted expression.

"No, he's exaggerating things," the silver-haired man replied quickly, only to get narrowed eyes directed at him from his eternal rival.

"Mhm, It-Was-Reflexes-san," I sassed, earning a sharp glare from the sharingan-wielder. I held up four fingers and said, "Also, you read porn in front of children."

"It's not porn! It's a romantic comedy!" Kakashi-sensei argued.

"The fuck it isn't porn! 18 only and written by Jiraiya-sama himself, and you have the fucking balls to lie to my face and say not a single word in that goddamn story isn't porn-related?!" I yelled as I shoved my finger into his face.

"I-I...! It isn't like that!" Kakashi-sensei replied, clearly backed into a corner.

"You're two hours late to everything, unlike Gai-sensei who is always early!" I continued on. I saw that he was going to retaliate, so I shoved my index finger into his face and said, "That's also not mention the fact you don't encourage us to work together anymore. You just let us do our own thing. For someone who values teamwork as much as you, you certainly aren't enforcing it."

"Okay, that's enough," Gai-sensei stepped in before forcibly turning me around to face the arena where Tenten-san and Temari were standing across from each other.

"This isn't going to turn out well either..." I muttered as I facepalmed hard.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

"Wind versus weapons. This isn't looking very good," I muttered as the two females stood across from each other.

"Haha! What are you talking about?! Tenten's youth-"

I looked over my shoulder at Gai-sensei with a glare. "Stop messing around, and let me finish."

The man held his hands up in self-defense. "Sorry, continue on."

I looked back down at the two and leaned my upper body against the railing. "Taking into consideration her country and the weather patterns there, Temari is probably a genius at using wind jutsus. Combine that with her large fan, and it spells trouble. Now, Tenten-san may be a weapon's expert, but if the wind is strong enough to blow her weapons even a centimeter off their original track, they'll be otherwise ineffective. Even if they have strings attached to them, being blown off their course will still make them useless against the metal that makes up the two ends of the fan. That fan is the perfect offensive and defense weapon against someone like Tenten-san."

"So you're saying Tenten will lose?" Lee-senpai asked worriedly.

"I'm just throwing out statistics," I said before putting my hand on his shoulder. "Nevertheless... Tenten! Let your springtime of youth explode forth!"

"Yes! Show everyone all of your hard work!" Lee-senpai agreed.

"The 5th match. Temari vs. Tenten, come forward," Hayate-san instructed even though the two were already standing there.

"Now... The second member of the Suna team. This could be interesting," Neji said as he looked down with crossed arms.

With two fists high in the air, Lee-senpai cheered, "Good luck, Tenten!"

"Kick some ass!" I yelled, my own fists in the air.

Temari's team didn't give any verbal support of any kind. They were assholes.

"Begin!" Hayate-san announced.

Temari gave a smirk, causing Tenten-san to retreat with caution.

"Tenteeen! Youth power!" Lee-senpai continued.

"Cheer harder!" Gai-sensei instructed.

"Whoooo!" I cheered as I tried shoving my fists even higher.

"Those three are noisy," Uzumaki-kun complained as he glared at us while covering his ears.

"What's wrong? Please begin," Hayate-san requested since the two girls hadn't started battling physically.

Mentally, they were checking each other out, determining the other's will and such through a battle of eyes. Or they were just checking each other out in general. Who knows?

Temari finally gave a small laugh. "You want to observe what I do? This is just a warning, but if I start attacking, you're going to be finished in a second." She took a step forwards, causing the brunette to take a step back. "You're not skilled enough to see how I'll attack. Stop trying to look good." She pointed her right thumb at her chest. "I don't mind, come on."

"Cocky cunt," I muttered before looking down at Tenten-san. "Give that Suna bitch everything!"

"You seem confident," Tenten-san noted before smirking. "Then, I'll go without hesitation!" She jumped high into the air and threw four shuriken at Temari to test the other girl's reflexes.

Temari smirked before the shuriken landed just to her right, giving the appearance that Tenten-san had bad aim and missed.

"I missed? That can't be!" Tenten-san exclaimed in surprise as she landed.

"What's wrong? Was that attack just to test me?" The dirty-blonde called out, her hands still on her hips. "Or did you shrink up with fear and can no longer aim?"

"Don't let her get into your head!" I yelled at the brunette.

"Ren is right, Tenten!" Gai-sensei yelled down immediately afterwards.

"I thought I would have more fun, but it seems that I can't expect much from you," the Suna bitch taunted.

Tenten-san grit her teeth in reply.

"That can't be! Tenten's attack missed?" Lee-senpai asked as he looked down at the four shuriken.

"That's impossible," Gai-sensei said, earning Lee-senpai's attention. "Tenten is able to hit a mark a hundred times in a hundred tries."

"There's no way she can miss," Neji agreed.

"Yes. She didn't miss. She was forced to miss," Gai-sensei said with a furrowed brow.

"So then, Temari used a wind jutsu, right?" I deduced, earning a small nod.

"It's very probable, yes," Gai-sensei answered.

"What?" Lee-senpai gasped.

"She has a friendly attitude, just like usual," Kankuro commented.

"This is pointless," Gaara said.

"How unsightly," Shikamaru-san stated.

"Huh?" Uzumaki-kun asked as he turned his head to look at the Nara in confusion.

"Suna wins again," Shikamaru-san explained.

"We don't know that yet," the blonde objected.

The brunette stood up and faced the blue-eyed individual. "I know."

"Why? How do you know?" Uzumaki-kun pressed.

"Because he can use his fucking brain," I whispered to the idiot, earning an offended look.

"Explain it to me so that I'll understand!" Uzumaki-kun demanded while pointing at his face.

"Idiot. I'm not going to do such a troublesome thing," Shikamaru-san replied before looking at me. "Ren, you do it."

"No way. I'm busy cheering," I objected before yelling, "Give that bitch hell!"

"If Shikamaru says so, then that's what will happen," Choji-san said as he looked down at the arena.

"I don't understand these guys," Uzumaki-kun said, him being the gigantic fucking moron that he was.

Tenten-san looked at the arena floor carefully, clearly measuring the distance before coming up with a plan.

Temari smirked as she reached back for her fan. She was clearly very intelligent herself when it came to battle.

The brunette quickly began to run towards Temari's right, and made a circle around her while pulling out a scroll. "How about this?!" She jumped high into the air and opened her scroll up. She quickly began to spin it around her at a high speed, causing Tenten-san to become invisible behind the yellow scroll. The brown-eyed girl then began to summon her weapons and threw them at Temari.

The blue-eyed female gave a quick swing of her fan, causing the weapons to miss their target. She then set her fan down next to her, revealing the single purple dot on it.

Tenten-san landed and looked at her opponent in shock. "What? My weapons... Is there a trick to that fan?"

Temari gave a small laugh. "This is the first star."

"Bitch, that's a fucking circle!" I yelled at the Suna girl who was clearly unable to tell her shapes apart.

"There are two more," she continued on, ignoring me. "When you see three stars, you're going to lose."

"Still a fucking circle, dumbass!" I sassed.

"Tenten! Don't let the enemy make you go at her pace!" Lee-senpai yelled down.

"Yeah!" I agreed.

"Stay calm! Stay! Calm!" Lee-senpai continued.

Tenten-san took in a deep breath as she calmed herself down. She then reached back and pulled out two scrolls. She held them out towards Temari.

Lee-senpai gave a gasp.

"She's going to use it already?" Gai-sensei questioned.

"Do you see any other reasonable choice?" I asked the man with a blank expression.

"What's she planning to do with those two scrolls?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"She's about to blow your fucking mind," I said as I tapped his head repeatedly.

Tenten-san put both of her scrolls down and had them stand up on their own.

Temari gave a laugh. "No matter what you try, it's useless."

The brown-eyed girl made multiple handsigns at a rapid pace before crossing her arms over her chest. "Sōshōryū!" As her fingers extended out, a large puff of smoke filled the arena.

Two white dragons came from the smoke and rapidly spun around each other before disappearing, showing the two scrolls unravelled.

Tenten-san jumped up quickly between the two scrolls, her height quite impressive. She summoned weapon after weapon and threw them all with striking accuracy at her opponent.

"Even if you increase the numbers, it's the same," Temari commented as she threw her fan up lazily. She caught it with one hand and began to spin around. "Second star!"

"It's a circle!" I yelled judgmentally.

All of Tenten-san's weapons we're deflected and landed on the ground, none of them leaving a mark on the Suna moron. The two scrolls also landed just before the brunette did.

"I'm not done!" Tenten-san announced before jumping high into the air. She quickly swung her arms around, making the metal strings that attached her fingers to the various weapons start to move. The girl lifted her weapons into the air before simultaneously throwing them all at Temari.

The dirty-blonde easily deflected the attacks with another wave of wind before showing off the three purple circles on her fan. "Three stars," she said with a smirk.

Tenten-san quickly stood up.

Temari knelt down and and closed her fan, distracting Tenten-san so she could build up her chakra for her next move.

The brunette was obviously surprised and looked around at ground-level for her opponent.

"Here!" The blue-eyed girl yelled as she flew on her fan down to her opponent. She had that cocky smirk on her face as she landed and grabbed her fan with both hands. "Ninpō: Kamaitachi!" She waved her fan twice, causing a whirlwind that lifted Tenten-san off of the ground and into the air.

That wind began to make various cuts on the brunette's flesh, making it obvious to all what kind of attack it was.

"That wind has chakra embedded in it," Neji stated.

"Well thank you for telling us, Obvious-taichō," I mocked with a roll of my eyes. "Can you tell us something we don't know?"

"Eh?" Lee-senpai asked, making me facepalm.

"Tenten fought well, but she can't escape that tornado," Neji explained.

Tenten-san was soon released from the tornado and fell back towards the ground. She landed on Temari's closed fan and hit her spine on the metal, causing her to release a cough of blood. Her body laid limp, folding itself in half from how she landed.

"How cruel..." Uzumaki-kun said.

"Tenten..." Lee-senpai muttered as he gripped the railing with both hands.

"I hate being right about things like this," I grumbled as I laid my body on the railing once more.

"How boring..." Temari said as he looked at the brunette with great disinterest.

"Wha... What's up with her?" Uzumaki-kun asked as he looked down at Temari.

"That's how she was raised. Suna and Konoha have very different rules," I explained softly, my eyes narrowed at the scene below.

"Pfft. Like we could lose here," Kankuro said, his amusement clear on his face.

"The 5th match winner is Temari!" Hayate-san announced, causing the Suna girl to smirk.

I watched Lee-senpai quickly jump down, but decided not to tag along.

Temari threw Tenten-san off of her fan, sending the poor unconscious girl hurling towards all of her weapons on the ground.

Lee-senpai caught Tenten-san before she could hit the ground and skidded back a bit from the impact.

"Nice catch," Temari said mockingly.

The Konoha male set his teammate down before yelling angrily, "What are you doing?! Is that how you treat someone who gave her all in battle?!"

With a hand on her hip, Temari said, "Shut up. Take that loser, and get out of here."

Lee-senpai visible twitched at that.

"Stop, Lee!" Neji yelled as his teammate before to attack.

I quickly jumped down and caught Lee-senpai's leg before it could come in contact with Temari's fan. "She's not worth getting into trouble."

The girl decided to not drop it like she should have. She instead looked at the green-clad shinobi and said with a large smirk, "You're also as pathetic as you appear to be."

"What did you say?" Lee-senpai's asked angrily as he pulled his leg free from my grasp.

"Lee, stop!" Gai-sensei yelled as he jumped down from the second floor.

"Damn," Temari cursed softly, her fun being ruined.

"Gai-sensei..." Lee-senpai called out as he stood up properly.

I gently patted his back, hoping to calm him down a bit more. I then glared over my shoulder at the Suna bitch.

"Temari, get up here! You've been declared the winner. Stop wasting time with that pathetic guardian guy," Gaara called out as he looked down at his teammate with crossed arms.

"What?" My senpai snapped as he glared up at the ginger.

The two had a mini-glare off as Gai-sensei took my place as comforter of Lee-senpai.

"That's enough, Lee..." The jônin called out.

The boy didn't reply as his clench fists shook with hidden wrath.

"...Heh..." Gai-sensei stepped forwards and put his hand on Lee-senpai's shoulder. "Suna Team... There's something I'd like to warn you about, if you don't mind..."

The two on the balcony looked down with slight alarm.

"This kid is strong... You better prepare yourself," Gai-sensei advised as I waved my middle fingers around in the background at the Suna dickheads.

Gaara's eyes suddenly widened as bloodlust became evident. He was ready to kill Lee-senpai at that moment.

I narrowed my eyes in alarm as I got ready to jump into a future fight.

"Picking a fight with the Suna guys... I wouldn't want any part of them," Kiba said to his teammate.

"They are all incredible," Hinata-san agreed.

"Don't lose to those guys!" Sakura yelled out.

"Sakura-chan..." Uzumaki-kun muttered in surprise before immediately starting to fret. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

"You should be worried about yourself," Sakura sassed teasingly with her hands on her waist. "If you lose here, you're not a man. How will you be able to face Sasuke-kun?"

"Y-yeah!" Uzumaki-kun agreed.

Sakura gave a small smile. "Also... Thanks for earlier. If it wasn't for you screaming like an idiot... I... would have lost to Ino."

"Yeah, you're right," the blonde said tactlessly.

Sakura looked away with a large scowl.

I gave a small sigh before jumping up to the second floor, Lee-senpai following close behind. I glanced briefly over my shoulder as Gai-sensei spoke softly with one of the medical nins that showed up.

"Alright! Hurry! My turn, my turn!" Uzumaki-kun cheered anxiously as he stared at the green screen.

"Next is...! I feel it's me!" Lee-senpai predicted as he landed on the second floor.

"I wouldn't place your bets," I suggested with a blank face before looking over at Shikamaru-san. "Don't flunk out, smartass."

The Nara gave an annoyed expression as his name appeared on the board. "Me, eh?"

"He can control shadows. Watch out for his shadow," Dosu advised to Kin, who was already walking down towards the first floor.

"Pft... I won't fall for such a stupid jutsu," Kin said confidently.

And how much are you willing to bet and lose? I thought as I gave a large grin. "Heh... Shikamaru-san is going to win."

"Mmm..." Uzumaki-kun said with a furrowed brow, making me look over at him in confusion. "How come you know the outcome to the things? Can you see the future or something?"

"Puh-lease," I sassed with a roll of my eyes, "If I could see the future, do you honestly think I wouldn't be the world's best travelling gambler? Bitch, I'd be a fucking trillionaire by this point, meaning my ass would be on a throne or something, not here picking fights and waving my special weapons around."

"Special weapons?" He repeated questioningly.

I slowly held up my fists before raising my middle fingers. "Behold, the most sacred of all my weapons - the legendary-" I cut myself off with a shriek as Sakura reached around and slammed my hands into the railings, causing my fingers to bend in certain directions that they shouldn't have. "Why?! What have my middle fingers ever done to you?! They do not deserve such cruel treatment!"

"Stop flipping people off! It's rude and crude!" Sakura scolded as she smacked the back of my head.

I gave a small huff as I crossed my arms. "Some people deserve it."

"You've been doing that nonstop for the past few days, you know?" She growled at me.

"I have not! I only did it to those Suna dickheads, the snake, and... uh..." I narrowed my eyes as I tried to remember who else I've flipped off.

"You flipped off Orochimaru?" My twin hissed in my ear, earning a small shrug.

"Nearly broke his arm, too, and also took out a kidney," I said nonchalantly, making her jaw drop.

"W-wait. I know about the stab you gave him, but when did you nearly break his arm?" The pinkenette questioned.

"When I had you two leave and let me take him on my own," I lied upon receiving a glare from Kakashi-sensei. "He's a resilient fucker. I can give him that much."

The girl frowned before looking down to the arena. She had nothing more to say on the matter, making me scratch my cheek nervously before I, too, looked down at the arena.

Shikamaru-san and Kin stood across from each other, Shikamaru-san in a lazy position and Kin in a more sassy and confident one.

"Man... This sucks... Plus, it's tough fighting a girl," Shikamaru-san complained.

"Then I'll end it quickly," Kin replied.

"Don't lose, Shikamaru!" Ino-chan cheered, her fist high in the air.

"Begin!" Hayate-san directed as he moved back.

Shikamaru-san immediately began to use his clan's special jutsu and sent it directly towards her.

"A one-trick pony... That jutsu..." Kin dodged to the side while throwing two senbon. "As long as I watch your shadow, I have nothing to fear!"

As the bells on the senbon chimed, Shikamaru-san quickly ducked down. The two needles flew over his head and implanted themselves into the wall, their bells still ringing.

I stared down at the bells with suspicion. "Sound genjutsu? Is that actually a thing?"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura questioned.

I bit my lower lip as I watched Shikamaru-san smirk at his opponent. "Nothing..."

"That's an old trick. Next you'll throw one senbon with a bell and one without one, right? And when I react to the sound and dodge only the first one and don't notice the second one, stab, right?" Shikamaru-san concluded confidently.

That was a run-on sentence, I internally criticized.

"You sure like to talk!" Kin yelled before pulling out two more senbon, those ones both lacking bells. She then pulled her right hand back, and the bells by the wall began to ring. The black-haired girl had string attached to the two bells that were also tied to her hand, allowing her to ring those bells as she desired.

Shikamaru-san looked back in surprise before his eyes widened even more. As his head turned back towards Kin, two senbon made a direct hit on his body.

"Shikamaru!" Ino-chan yelled.

"A direct hit," Uzumaki-kun noted.

"No, take a closer look," Sakura demanded.

"I dodged a critical hit," Shikamaru-san said to himself as he pulled out the two senbon. He then glared at the girl and said, "Now it's my turn."

"I won't let you," Kin replied before jingling her bells once again.

Shikamaru-san suddenly began to shake a bit as if his equilibrium had been thrown off. "Wh-what's going on?" He fell down to his knees before looking at his opponent for answers.

The girl gave a chuckle as her right hand was placed on her hip. "Those who listen to the sound of bells become like that. This vibration from the sound of this special bell works directly in the eardrum up to the brain. Then, it will show you an illusion."

The bells rung once more, causing Shikamaru-san to hold his hands over his ears.

"That's useless. You can't shut out my bell's sound with that," Kin told him.

Shikamaru-san dropped his hands down from his ears and muttered, "Damn it. Which one's the real one?"

"You can't move at all, huh?" Kin asked with a large smirk. "You don't even know where to stretch your only hope, your shadow." She held up three senbon, each held between one of her four fingers. "Now, I'll tenderize you slowly."

"Damn it, she's underestimating me," Shikamaru-san mumbled, making me smirk.

Kin threw her senbon, all of them hitting the Nara. "Now, I'll throw five. Next, seven. I'll continue until you look like a hedgehog."

"You deceitful witch. You said you would end the match quickly!" Shikamaru-san yelled, obviously complaining about how lazy he is and how he didn't want to have to sit through the whole thing.

"I see. You're in so much pain that you want to be relieved of it quickly," Kin concluded, making me facepalm. "Then, I'll finish you off with this." She held up three senbon with narrowed eyes and said, "It's the end."

Shikamaru-san grit his teeth before his shadow finally made it to his opponent.

Kin's hand started to drop down against her will, and she yelled out, "What?! M-my body...!"

Shikamaru-san stood up and said, "Heh... My kageshibari no jutsu finally worked."

"What are you talking about? I don't see your shadow anywhere!" Kin exclaimed, causing me to chuckle.

"You haven't noticed yet?" The Nara questioned.

The girl jolted as she realized what happened. "...No way...!"

"Exactly, idiot!" Shikamaru-san yelled as my smirk widened.

"A string at that height... doesn't make a shadow," Shikamaru-san and I said at the same time.

The genius's shadow began to widened itself out and make its presence more obvious.

"I can lengthen, shrink, freely control my own shadow. Though there is a limit." He forced the girl to drop her strings before pointing at her, causing her to point at him. "Yep! I made my shadow really skinny to make it look like it will made my the string, and then attached it to you."

The girl released a noise of discomfort as she was forced to move her body around against her will.

The two of them reached down into their holsters and pulled out a shuriken. They then moved their arms as though they were getting ready to throw them.

"Are you stupid? Both of us will do the same movements. If you attack, you'll get hurt too..." Kin said, her panic clear in her tone.

"I know that," Shikamaru-san replied casually.

Her eyes widened slightly in fear. "You aren't...!"

"We'll keep throwing shurikens to see how long we can last!" The Nara yelled as he threw his shuriken.

"Fool! Don't!" The otonin exclaimed as she too threw her shuriken. She was ready to piss herself as the shuriken came closer and closer to her face.

That's when Shikamaru-san quickly bent backwards to avoid a shuriken to the face.

His opponent did the same, and just before her head could slam into the wall, Shikamaru-san's shadow detached from hers.

The boy laughed as his shadow returned to him. "One down..."

Kin collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The laid-back shinobi quick flipped over and landed on his feet before standing up once more. "If you're a shinobi... Then you fight with knowledge of your surroundings. Even if we moved the same... The distance to the wall behind us was different." He rubbed the back of his neck and explained, "I used the shuriken so you wouldn't notice how close you were to the wall."

"Winner, Nara Shikamaru!" Hayate-san announced.

"Yes! Shikamaru!" Ino-chan cheered.

"You rule!" Choji-san added in.

"Nicely done!" I yelled down at the boy with a grin.

"That was so basic... But he was kind of cool... Damn," Uzumaki-kun muttered as he looked away with a small pout.

I chuckled as I patted his shoulder. "Relax. I'm sure you'll do something interesting during your match, too."

"Hey, hey! When's my match going to come up?!" The boy yelled eagerly at me.

I motioned to the board.

"Now, the next match..." Hayate-san trailed off as two names appeared on the board.

Uzumaki Naruto

VS

Inuzuka Kiba

"Yes! It's here, it's here! Finally! It's about time!" Uzumaki-kun cheered excitedly.

Kiba released a triumphant and happy laugh. "Lucky! We can definitely beat him, Akamaru!"

The dog barked in agreement.

Lee-senpai, meanwhile, turned around as tears came to his eyes. "If I'm not picked next, Sakura-san will call me Thick-Brows... If I'm not called next..."

Kakashi-sensei looked over at the green-clad boy with a reminiscing look in his eyes. He clearly heard something similar in his past.

I gently patted my senpai's shoulder. "It's okay. After what happened in the forest, Sakura won't give your eyebrows any more grief."

He looked over at me with big tears in his eyes. "A... Are you sure?"

"She respects you now, as well as your strength," I told him.

Lee-senpai's eyes filled up with hope before he gave a nod. He straightened himself out before turning back towards the arena to cheer on Uzumaki-kun. "Thank you for those words, Ren-kun!"

"Any time, Lee-senpai," I replied with a smile before looking back down at the arena.

Kakashi-sensei then decided it was time to be an asshole back after all the sass and harassment I put him through. He leaned down and then whispered into my ear, "I bet it's hard, having someone crush on your sister, only for you to be crushing on them."

"I'm sick of your shit!" I screeched as I turned around and began to claw at his face. "You're totally fucked up in the brain! You completely miss social clues because your face is always in that damn porn book!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down down down, Ren!" Sakura yelled as she pulled me away from the man who was obviously smirking behind his mask. She then glanced at Kakashi-sensei and asked, "What did you just say to him?"

He replied with a chuckle his mirth clear in his tone.

My eyes glinted as I saw he was distracted. I quickly swung my right foot up without mercy and hit him where no man should ever hit another. I watched his immediately fall to his knees and grinned sadistically. "Go on, sensei. Tell everyone what you said. I dare you."

"Ren!" Sakura yelled before suplexing me into the railing.

I flopped to the ground, and the world spun around me. "Heh heh... That one will leave a bruise."

"You're my least favorite student," Kakashi-sensei told me as he tried, and failed, at keeping the pain out of his voice.

"You're my least favorite sensei," I replied.

"...Really?" He questioned.

"No. That award goes to that fuckface Mizuki. Not only did he end up being a traitor, but he gave me my only failing grade in the academy. Dickhead couldn't take a joke, and in the end, he paid for it severely." I gave a dark chuckle as my eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do I even want to know?" The silver-haired jônin questioned.

I stared at the ceiling for a few moments before my face scrunched up. "Probably not... It's a bit- ah- disturbing."

"I want to know," the man immediately said.

Sakura gave a worried look. "You really don't. Whatever Ren did, not only got him moved out of Mizuki-sensei's class, but it also made the sensei try to get a restraining order from him."

Kakashi-sensei stared at me with an expression that I had come to recognized by that point in time.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'm a delinquent. Why couldn't I get a more normal student? Why have you also been keeping more secrets? Blah blah blah," I said as I waved him off before standing up. "What you don't know about me won't kill you, so don't worry about it."

"...I still want to know about that and the takoyaki incident," the man admitted as he shakily returned to his feet.

I quickly snapped around and help my finger up to his face. "We don't talk about takoyaki incident or the consequences of it." I then turned back around and looked down at Uzumaki-kun. "Also, I'm not spilling the Mizuki story until I'm sure I won't need to do the same to you."

Kakashi-sensei remained silent for a moment before suddenly lifting up his arm. He stared down at his exposed skin that had goosebumps all over for a moment before Gai-sensei elbowed him gently.

"Yes, we all got chills. No, you really don't want to know if he tells you that you don't want to know," the black-haired sensei whispered - and by whispered, I mean he spoke loud enough for the entire arena to hear - to his eternal rival.

I ignored his words and how everyone looked at me, waiting for me to make a remark. I was too engrossed with watching Uzumaki-kun's odd expression as he stared at Akamaru. ...I'm placing my bets on the team idiot for this one. Let's see how the little squirt grew since he's been on the team...


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

"The seventh match... Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba!" Hayate-san said as he stood by both participants.

"Hya ha ha ha! It's like we've already won! So lucky! Eh, Akamaru?!" Kiba yelled excitedly.

Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Shut the hell up!" Uzumaki-kun yelled before pointing at the two. "Hey Kiba, don't bring a puppy. It's in the way!"

Kiba took Akamaru out of his jacket and put the white-furred dog on the ground. "Idiot! Akamaru's fighting with me!"

The pup released a fierce bark towards the one who insulted him.

The blonde looked over at the proctor. "Hey, hey! Is that alright?!"

"Yes. Animals and bugs are the same as ninja tools. There's no problem," Hayate-san explained.

The idiot stared for a few seconds before smirking and putting his hands on his hips. "Heh. That's fine. You need the help."

I facepalmed before muttering, "This is why you can't make friends with anyone. Two-faced moron."

"Hah, acting all tough. Then I'll do this..." The boy with red fang-like clan markings on his cheeks stood up. "Akamaru, stay out of it. I'll fight alone."

His partner released a whine in disapproval.

"Naruto! Don't lose to him!" Sakura yelled.

"Don't hurt Akamaru!" I yelled immediately after, making Sakura look at me with an annoyed expression. "Don't you look at me like that! Akamaru is a precious puppy! That blonde isn't worth that dog!"

"He's our teammate!" Sakura scolded as she slammed her fist into my head.

"And that's an adorable puppy!" I exclaimed while extending my arm over the railing towards Akamaru. "What's your point?!"

She grit her teeth before pinching the bridge of her nose. "You idiot. Dogs don't match up to a person."

"Exactly. They're higher than people," I said with a smirk, only to receive another punch to the head.

"I feel bad for you, so I'll end it in one punch," Kiba stated as he raised his right fist.

"Ah, is that so? Then me too..." Uzumaki-kun replied as he raised his left fist.

"Stop acting tough!" The brunette demanded while pointing at my teammate, earning a bark of approval from Akamaru.

The two glared at each other, but had nothing more to say.

Hayate-san looked between the two boys before yelling, "Then... Please begin!" He quickly moved back.

Kiba got down low to the ground as he made a certain chakra symbol. Chakra surrounded his body as he yelled, "Here I come!" His sharp nails, attached to his boney fingers, scratched against the ground for a split-second before Kiba quickly moved to Uzumaki-kun. He nailed the blonde in the gut, sending my teammates flying. With a smirk, he said, "He won't be opening his eyes for a while, referee."

"I knew it..." Shikamaru-san said, obviously not using the amazing brain his clan gave him.

"That Naruto could never beat Kiba," Ino-chan said, making me roll my eyes.

"Man, he's weak," Kankuro said as he looked down at my teammate.

I looked at Kakashi-sensei, as did Sakura.

As the three of us exchanged glances, we all had our own confident expressions. We knew that there was more to Uzumaki-kun than met the eye.

The blonde has begun to stand up, drawing surprise from several people.

"What?!" Kiba exclaimed as he turned around and faced the idiot.

Uzumaki-kun smiled as he yelled, "Don't... underestimate me!"

"Tell that bitch!" I cheered excitedly.

"Go, Naruto!" Sakura hollered.

Lee-senpai made a fist as he looked down at the blonde with slight awe. "Ohhh!"

Kiba was alarmed and just a bit angered. "Saying that as you bleed?! I told you to stop acting tough!"

Akamaru let out a few angered barks himself.

"I let you hit me to test your strength," the blonde lied before wiping the blood off of his chin. "You should stop acting tough, too. Use your dog or whatever."

His opponent narrowed his eyes before growling, "You'll regret that. Let's go, Akamaru!"

The two quickly rushed towards Uzumaki-kun as Kiba threw the two smoke bombs he had taken from his back pouch. As the area was covered in smoke, Akamaru and Kiba made their moves. They hit my teammate harshly on several occasions, causing the blonde to release a few noises of pain.

Uzumaki-kun tried fleeing from the smoke, only for Akamaru to lunge at him with his teeth barred. The blonde was forced back into the smoke when the pup bit his arm.

Kiba landed outside of the smoke with a triumphant expression. He waited patiently for the smoke to clear before smiling at what he thought he was his dog and a beaten Uzumaki-kun. "Uhya ha ha! Yes! Great job!"

The dog released bark as he ran towards the brunette. Well, if that was actually a dog. It definitely didn't have the chakra of a dog, but rather...

"You did it, Aka-" Kiba cut himself off as alarm covered his face. His eyes widened as Akamaru bit his arm harshly.

Uzumaki-kun undid his transformation, but failed to released Kiba's arm from his teeth. "You fell for it, grrr!"

"You! With the henge jutsu...?!" The Inuzuka exclaimed in shock. "Damn it! I wasn't paying attention! Where's Akamaru?!"

Uzumaki-kun suddenly gained a disgusted look and released Kiba's arm. He quickly backtracked and began to spit some saliva from his mouth. "Bleh! You stink of dog!"

"Over here!" Uzumaki-kun's bunshin yelled as he held up the pyrenees by his front paws.

"Bitch, are you trying to break Akamaru's legs?! If you hold him like that, his front legs will pop from their sockets and break!" I yelled angrily at the blonde.

"Calm down!" Sakura commanded as I flailed around angrily while screaming promises to break my teammate's arms.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled as he looked at his partner.

"No way... That Naruto just combined kage bunshins with the henge jutsu... It can't be..." Shikamaru-san muttered with shock evident all across his face and in his voice.

"What?! That's Naruto?! He's even with Kiba, no better than that," Ino-chan said with her in widened eyes.

"He has good timing with his jutsu," Temari praised.

"He's better than I thought..." Kankuro admitted as the match held his full interest.

I released a growl as I finally calmed down. Good or not, he's still the type of idiot that bites someone and then gets pissed... I gave a sigh before easing up. That moron should have been a comedian...

"So you've gotten a little stronger... But it's over. I'm serious now," Kiba stated.

"Ah, is that so? Then... me too!" Uzumaki-kun declared.

"N... Naruto-kun... W-wow," Hinata-san said softly as she looked down at her crush with amazement.

"You're great, Naruto!" Sakura praised.

"Whooo!" I agreed with my fists high in the air.

"Looks like he's not that Naruto anymore..." Shikamaru-san noted.

"Yeah," Ino-chan replied seriously.

Kiba suddenly pulled out a food pill before quickly flicking towards Akamaru. "Here I come, Naruto."

Akamaru easily caught the food pill in his mouth and quickly ate it. Immediately, the effects of the pill showed a physical effect of the dog. His fur turned red and grew much courser. His teeth seemed to grow larger as well as the rest of his body, but only be a fractional amount. Akamaru growled fiercely before kicking Uzumaki-kun, causing the blonde to release him. From there, he returned to Kiba's side.

"His fur is... red? What did you feed him?!" The idiot yelled.

"That's why he's Akamaru," Kiba replied, not at all answering the question he was asked. He took a food pill himself before bending down, allowing Akamaru to jump onto his back. "Here we go, Akamaru!"

The dog released two loud barks.

"Ninpō: Shikyaku no Jutsu!" Kiba yelled before his partner transformed into his appearance.

Both of the Kibas looked wild and feral as they glared at their opponent.

"His eyes are scary! He took some weird medicine! Isn't that doping?! Is that allowed?!" Uzumaki-kun asked worriedly.

"Yes, the soldier pill is a ninja tool," Hayate-san answered.

The blonde pointed at the proctor and yelled accusingly, "That's all you say!"

"What did he eat?" Sakura asked with a furrowed brow.

"A soldier pill," I answered as I spared her a glance. "The soldier pill is a special medicine that is said to allow a soldier to fight for three days and three nights without resting. It's full of protein and contains a special stimulant. Of course, it can't actually be used to allow someone to fight for that long, but it is often used by ANBU members as a ration when they're performing a long mission that involves quite a bit of combat. In any case, Kiba's and Akamaru's chakra have momentarily increased because of it. Uzumaki-kun is in a bit of trouble... Releasing the body's chakra and attacking like a wild beast - those effects make the pill perfect for Kiba."

"Will he be alright?" Sakura asked, making me shrug.

Of course he will. The idiot can always pull something out of his ass when it's time to shine, I thought. It was too troublesome to say out loud though, so I just watched on.

"Here it comes!" Kiba yelled as he and Akamaru lunged for Uzumaki-kun. "Jūjin Taijutsu!"

Uzumaki-kun was given barely a second to dodge, resulting in him getting nicked in a few places. He dodged under another hit before jumping over the two clawing at him. He soon landed, his back faced towards both of his opponents, providing an opening.

"Take this! Jūjin Taijutsu Ōgi: Gatsūga!" Kiba yelled before he and Akamaru began to spin at a ferocious speed.

They delivered many powerful beast-like attacks, the force strong enough to send Uzumaki-kun flying into the air. They soon stopped their attack and allowed Uzumaki-kun to flop onto the ground, the blonde caked in blood.

"That's the difference between our abilities," Kiba stated as Uzumaki-kun released a cough of blood.

The boy shakily moved his hand a bit. "I... Hokage..." He tried lifting himself up, his entire body shakily from the effort. "Can't lose... here..."

Kiba gave a laugh. "You become Hokage?! Even though you're weaker than me?! You don't actually think you can become Hokage, do you?! Stop acting tough! Hehe... If you want a Hokage... I'll become one!"

I allowed my face to become blank before turning my head towards Sakura. "You think...?"

"Oh, yeah," she agreed, making me nod.

"Get up, Naruto!" The two of us then yelled together.

The boy rose to his feet before smirking at Kiba. "If you're gonna compete with me for the Hokage name... I'm gonna whip you like a dog..."

"That simile sucked! Chose a different one!" I scolded.

Kiba pointed at my teammate. "Hey! Do you ever give it a rest?!"

"No," I answered with a deadpanned expression.

"Akamaru, let's do it!" The black-eyed boy demanded as he and his transformed dog ran towards the blonde.

"I won't fall for the same trick twice!" Uzumaki-kun yelled.

I snorted as the Inuzuka and his dog went after the blonde again. "Hey, you remember how that idiot fell for the same trick twice back during the bell exam?"

Kakashi-sensei chuckled as Sakura gave a deadpanned expression. "He was definitely the easiest of your four to test."

"This isn't going to turn out the same way, right?" Sakura muttered pleadingly.

"He has grown. Give him that much," I said with a grin before looking back at the cloud of smoke that had covered the area.

"What are you going to do, Naruto?" Sakura asked herself worriedly.

I narrowed my eyes at the smoke before blinking in surprise. "I see..."

"Huh?" Sakura asked.

"Look closely," Kakashi-sensei advised, he too able to tell what the knucklehead was thinking.

Sakura did so before finally seeing the three Kibas that stood in a triangle formation.

"If Naruto transforms into Kiba, then the real Kiba can't tell which is Naruto and which is Akamaru. Thus, he can't attack. Akamaru is the same... He doesn't know which is which and can't attack either. But to Naruto, they are both enemies, meaning he can attack." I then held up my index finger as my eyes narrowed. "However, there's a fatal flaw."

"What do you mean?" Lee-senpai questioned curiously.

I put the end of my finger onto my nose. "The Inuzuka Clan is known for their many dog-like traits. Their amazing sense of smell is no exception." I looked back at the two and said seriously, "Kiba and Akamaru will be able to tell who's who by smell alone."

"Ren is right," Kakashi-sensei agreed with a nod of approval.

"So then-" Sakura cut herself off as she worriedly looked down at the arena.

"So that's your plan, but... I'll warn you about something. I wasn't focusing and didn't notice last time, but..." Kiba quickly turned before punching one of his look-alikes across the face. "The henge jutsu won't work anymore because...!"

That Kiba went flying and skidded across the floor, his hands doing a handsign so fast, practically everyone else missed it.

"You smell..." Kiba wiped under his nose with a large smirk. "Don't underestimate our noses, Naruto."

The Kiba laying on the ground gave a small groan in reply.

"Heh, I won!" The brunette declared before a cloud of smoke enveloped the one laying on the ground. He looked slightly alarmed before his eyes widened at the sight. "Akamaru?!"

The white-furred dog laid on the ground.

"Damn!" Kiba cursed. He quickly whirled around and punched the other Kiba across the face. "Then you're Naruto! Take that!"

The other Kiba crashed into the ground before turning into Akamaru.

The first Akamaru stood up before undoing its transformation, revealing itself to be Uzumaki-kun in the flesh. He quickly lunged for Kiba, who was in a temporary state of shock. The blonde easily kicked the dog-like boy's chin upwards, sending his enemy coughing up blood while in the air.

Sakura suddenly gained an excited look as she pieced everything together.

Lee-senpai made a small face of annoyance, making me sigh.

"When Kiba smelled Naruto and punched him, Naruto quickly transformed into Akamaru. That made the appearance that Akamaru was hit, and the jūjin bunshin had been released," I explained to the boy.

"Yeah, I get that, but..." Lee-senpai's face scrunched up a bit. "How could you go back in your choice like that? If you trust a certain part of yourself and go through with that decision, why would you go back on it?"

"In a moment of doubt, he allowed his better judgement to wane. He only just graduated, so his resolve isn't as solid as ours," I said as I leaned my upper body against the railing again. I looked down at the scene blankly while resting my chin on my arms.

"Crap..." Kiba cursed after glancing at Akamaru, who was out cold next to him.

"Heh..." Uzumaki-kun gave a thumbs down. "Think before using a jutsu, or it will get used against you! And also... Don't fall for such obvious traps, idiot!"

I burst out laughing and had to hold my gut. "Holy fuck, he used Kakashi-sensei's words like the same thing didn't happen to him about two months ago! Holy shit! This is fucking gold! Hah hah hah!" I cut myself off with a harsh cough and watched apathetically as some of my blood splattered onto the railing and floor. "Uh... That wasn't me..."

Sakura glared at me fiercely, her eyes burning holes through my skull. "Ren..."

"Can I finish watching the match?" I asked hesitantly.

"...Fine," the girl grumbled before turning her attention back to Kiba, who had calmed himself down by biting his hand to the point of drawing blood.

The brunette pulled out eight shuriken, four for each hand. He was ready to fight again.

"So you're finally serious, eh, Kiba?" Uzumaki-kun asked before making the tora handsign.

Has he too figured out the most sacred technique of Konoha? I thought as I watched on eagerly.

"Then... With my new special technique... I'm going to end things!" The idiot declared.

"Huh? Since when...?" Sakura trailed off in confusion.

"Hm?" Kakashi-sensei hummed, his befuddlement clear in his tone.

I, too, stood there baffled.

"He was saving a special technique? Impressive..." Lee-senpai praised.

Uzumaki-kun suddenly made a handsign I didn't recognize while stretching his arms out towards Kiba.

"I don't know what kind of special technique it is, but..." The black-eyed boy threw all of his shuriken at the idiot. "I won't give you a chance to do it!"

"This time, Haku's not around to cancel it," I muttered as I watched with slight worry.

The orange and blue covered boy quickly dodged around the shuriken in odd positions, making me sigh in relief.

Kiba saw an opening and rushed forwards while performing another jutsu. He quickly got behind Uzumaki-kun while said idiot yelled as he summoned up his power. "Too slow!" He swung his left hand forwards with sharpened nails. "Eat this!"

I clenched the railing as I bit my lower lip.

That's when Uzumaki-kun released a fart right into poor Kiba's face.

The boy with an excellent sense of smell immediately recoiled while holding his nose. He even released a loud noise of disgust.

Everyone stared down with shocked or deadpanned expressions.

"Even though that fart was coincidental, it's definitely an Uzumaki-kun move..." I muttered while facepalming.

Sakura nodded besides me before holding up her left fist. "Naruto! Now's your chance!"

Uzumaki-kun slammed his hands together while yelling, "Damn it! I clenched too hard! But now I'll do my new technique!" He performed the kage bunshin jutsu, making four copies of himself. "I'm going to return the pain you gave me all at once!" He then used one of his doppelgangers as a springboard of sorts to get high in the air. "U!"

His other three clones kicked Kiba in the air. "Zu! Ma! Ki!"

The real Uzumaki-kun slammed his heel into the top of Kiba's skull, sending the Inuzuka crashing into the ground. "Naruto Rendan!"

Kiba spit up blood before temporarily passing out.

The blonde huffed and puffed as his bunshins disappeared.

Hayate-san checked Kiba's vitals before looking at the idiot all judgmentally. He gave a few coughs before standing up. "Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Ohhh!" Lee-senpai exclaimed excitedly as he looked down at my teammate.

"Shannaro! This feels great!" Sakura yelled.

"That Naruto beat Kiba!" Shikamaru announced excitedly as he and his team looked down at my teammate.

I chuckled before closing my eyes. I allowed myself to rest once more, happy with how things turned out. "He's an idiot, but if he sets his mind to something, he has the guts to pull through. He's... a gutsy shinobi."

"That he is," Kakashi-sensei said with a nod of approval.

The blonde began to run up to the second floor with a large spring in his step. He gave a laugh while yelling, "Easy! Easy!" Once he reached the top of the stairs, he put his hands behind his head and began walking along at a nice pace.

Just after he passed Hinata-san, the girl worked up the courage to talk to her crush. "N... Naruto-kun..."

The boy stopped and looked at her in confusion.

She silently held out her small cylinder while shaking, a large blush on her cheeks.

I nudged my sister before pointing over at the two. "Wouldn't they make a cute couple?"

"Eh?" Sakura looked over before frowning. She looked back at me and made a certain hand motion.

I shrugged while looking away.

Her frown deepened before she motioned to Hinata-san. She then motioned back to me.

I sighed deeply as I moved my hand from towards Sakura's head to her feet.

The pinkenette rolled her eyes before holding up her hand, her palm towards the ceiling.

I put my hand up, my palm facing towards her to interrupt her thought. I shook my head, making her drop the subject for the time being.

"What just happened?" Lee-senpai asked as he looked between the two of us.

"Twin talk. It takes many years to master," I replied before holding my index finger up. "Now shut up so I can listen in."

"I didn't know you liked gossip," Kakashi-sensei muttered.

"Of course. He's the gossip sponge," Sakura explained softly, earning a deadpanned expression from the man.

"What's this?" Uzumaki-kun asked.

"Medical cream," Kurenai-sensei answered.

"Why for me?" The blonde questioned.

Hinata-san's blush turned a deep red as she couldn't bring herself to verbally answer. Oh, she was so in love.

"Just take it, Naruto," the woman said with a small smirk.

"Uh... Sure..." Uzumaki-kun muttered as he took the cream. He then perked up and said, "Thanks! You're nice, Hinata!"

The girl gave a happy smile before she began to play with her fingers.

I smirked while looking over at Sakura, who gave a sigh.

"It isn't healthy," she scolded with her hands on her hips.

"Well, it's what I'm gonna do," I replied stubbornly, my arms crossed over my chest.

Her facial expression clearly said that she disapproved my change of heart.

"What's not healthy?" Kakashi-sensei asked, his overprotective motherly instincts kicking in as he looked between my twin and I.

"Nothing," I replied, waving him off.

Sakura just shook her head before giving a warning look to me.

"Yeah, I know," I grumbled before smiling at Uzumaki-kun. "Nice job! We're all proud of you and your growth!"

The blonde beamed at us, happy that his hard work had been recognized. He then pulled up his sleeve and put his medicine on his wound. His cut immediately began to close, making my eyes practically bulge out of my skull.

"Give me that!" I demanded as I snatched it away. I pulled my shirt up before quickly pulling out a kunai. I easily cut up the center of my wrappings and allowed them to fall away as I took a large glob of the medicine in my hand. I then smeared it across my wound before bouncing up and down excitedly. My excited smile slowly died once I realized that I wasn't healing nearly as fast at Uzumaki-kun.

A hand suddenly placed itself on my head and grabbed a large handful of my hair. "Haruno Ren..."

Oh, that's definitely the right spot, I thought happily as his grip on my hair tightened, my body shivering slightly from the pleasure. I quickly gulped down the knot in my throat and asked, "Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"You're now going to be under ANBU watch while you're in the hospital, and you're going right now," the man said darkly as his eye pierced a hole straight through my soul.

"Aw..." I pouted before looking at Sakura. "Save me 10." I then looked at Rock Lee with the utmost seriousness. "If you happen to be put against Gaara, you need to quit. He's going to try to kill you." I then looked back at Sakura. "Also, tell me all the details when you come visit."

Kakashi-sensei didn't let me say anything more before he shunshined to Konoha's hospital. He refused to so much as let me out of his sight until he was sure that I was restrained and surrounded by ANBU members that would immediately hunt me down if I tried escaping. Needless to say, he was more overbearing than my own mother.

As soon as he left, I blurted out, "No wonder Kakashi-sensei has to read that porn book all the time. He clearly can't keep a girlfriend and needs to image one while reading that fucking trash."

One of the very faint chakra signatures in the room flickered away, but I could hear the laughing coming from outside of my window. That chick was in hysterics from my sass.

"She do that often?" I asked while looking towards were another ANBU officer was hidden.

They didn't give a reply.

I shrugged before looking back up towards the ceiling. "So any of you know Hitsuji? He doing good? Oh, and what about Risu and Ahiru?"

Once again, no one answered.

"Okay, cool story..." I trailed off before smirking. "So are all of you trackers? Is that why you guys were the ones that have to babysit me? I bet it is."

The one ANBU member came back, her chuckles under control. She seemed confused about her team's tenseness, but didn't say anything.

"So how fast could you guys track me down if I used the hiraishin jutsu?" I questioned curiously.

No one answered.

"Mkay..." I stared blankly at the ceiling for a few moments before boredom began to run through my veins. "Ugh... There's nothing to do..." I traced out the ceiling patterns in my head. Then, I made up small statistics about how the next room over would fair in terms of patterns considering how much space would most likely be in between both rooms and the like. Once I realized that I was far too bored, I gave a loud hum.

The beeping of monitors filled the room. The scent of the room was sterile, but that was something I never had a problem with. Light not only came from the light fixtures on the ceiling, but also through the window.

I'm bored.

Hi bored, I'm Sado.

I snickered at that. Okay, fuck you. You know those stupid jokes always get me.

Yeah... We probably won't be making those jokes anymore though, he said, his voice oddly depressed considering his usual attitude.

Yeah... I should really get on that soon. Hm... I wonder when I'm going to be released...

Well, if a medical ninja uses their healing chakra.

It's called iryō ninjutsu.

Fuck off! Sado demanded before clearing his throat. -then we'll be released significantly faster. Of course, the problem after that comes in to play with our training. We have a about a month to develop our techniques and maybe learn a new one. We also have to show all of our shit off if we're going to be promoted to chunin.

Yeah, but since Sakura isn't being promoted, shouldn't we just drop out?

...Shit.

I gave a deep sigh. This is troubling.

If we do focus on training, we won't have enough time look up certain things for Duckass and his seal. Besides, we were going to look more in depth about him, remember?

Yeah. There's no way we can back out of that. Okay, we'll drop out and focus on research.

Agreed. I hope the dickhead can focus on the research instead of being a pushover bitch baby.

I burst out laughing at that one. "Pushover bitch baby! That's hilarious!" I ended up coughing since my saliva went to the back of my throat and into my trachea. As I was choking to death on my own spit, one of the ANBU members were nice enough to come out of their hiding place and push my nurse class button.

They then went back into hiding instead of helping any further. That person had secured themselves a place on my 'I-will-get-revenge' list.

A nurse soon came in and saw me still coughing. She then quickly undid my restraints to let me sit up before rushing off to get a glass of water. Of course, she didn't undo my wrist restraints.

I was left like a baby before she came back. I was allowed to drink my water and calm my coughing down before I was shoved onto my back and restrained once more.

That woman was going to leave me hanging!

"Um, when can I get out of here?" I asked.

She looked back at me with a small glare. "You shinobi are all the same. You haven't even begun to scab over, and you already want to leave."

"Is that a Tuesday?" I questioned, earning an even more irked look.

"Get some rest," she demanded as she left my room and slammed the door behind her.

"I think that was a Tuesday!" I said optimistically.

It wasn't a Tuesday...


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

I was fine with laying on the bed and minding my own business, and by that, I mean I was casually conversing with myself out loud at that point when I suddenly felt a disturbance in a certain someone's chakra. My eyes widened before I quickly teleported myself to Sakura's side.

"Re-"

"I felt it. His chakra..." I interrupted as I gripped the railing, my eyes looking down at Lee-senpai in horror.

The boy was unconscious on the ground, his left arm and leg bleeding badly. In front of him was Gai-sensei, who had dispelled the sand that was surely about to attack him.

I quickly jumped down to Lee-senpai's side and looked at his injuries worriedly. "This is... His bones, his muscles... He used both, didn't he? I didn't want to bet on it, but..." I felt tears well up in my eyes as I saw his pained expression. Those tears of sorrow turned into rage, a rage similar to that I had when Orochimaru had tried touching my scar.

The main difference was that that rage was something that I supported completely.

I grit my teeth as my chakra overflowed from my body, my tears flowing into the air from the pressure of it. I turned my gaze over to Gaara, who had been clenching his cracking sand mask.

He made eye-contact with me, and those sea-foam green eyes of his widened even more.

I stood up with my fists clenched. "You..."

"Ren-"

I ignored Gai-sensei as I walked towards the person who had just became my number one enemy. "I see mercy is something that doesn't exist in your vocabulary. Sunagakure-born or not, everyone knows boundaries. Since you failed to stop before reaching that boundary..." I stood in front of him and glared down at him, my fury reaching its peak. "You will get the pleasure of facing the true power of..." I allowed my chakra to take a certain shape that I had seen a few weeks earlier. "The Demon Hidden in the Leaves."

The ginger jolted in shock before bloodlust filled his eyes once again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I threatened as I reached back and grabbed the hand heading towards the back of my neck. I stared down at Gaara with wrath before giving a small sigh. I reigned in my anger and released the hand. I took a step back and gave a closed-eye smile towards the boy I'd try to kill in the future.

"You know, I intended on flunking out because I had better things to do with my time. Now though..." I reached my hand out and placed it on top of his head. I ruffled his hair as I said, "I'm going to spend every single second until we fight training to pay you back ten-fold for what you did to my precious senpai." I gave a chuckle as I moved my hand away. I opened my eyes as malice-infected my smile. "I'm going to my best to gain the strength to kill you and that monster inside of you."

His eyes widened as he grit his teeth. Both hands clutched his head as painful memories seemed to come to the surface of his mind.

I felt satisfied with his reaction, so I turned heel. I passed by Kakashi-sensei, who was looking down at me worriedly. "I expect you to find me a suitable teacher. I won't accept anything less than ANBU-level skills."

Kakashi-sensei opened his mouth to reply, but I had already departed.

I walked through the hospital, ignoring how many had stared at me. I made it to the nurse's station and slammed my hand down on the desk, gaining both of the women's attention. "Haruno Ren, Room 201. I demand to be released right this minute."

The one woman immediately got riled up. "You're the boy that's under critical care! You're not being released! Get back to your room now!"

I stared her down and emphasized every word darkly, "I demand to be released right fucking now."

She flinched away from me with a scared expression.

That's when an ANBU member put their hand on my shoulder. "Return to your room. You're not allowed to leave."

"You're going to lose that hand," I threatened as I glared over my shoulder fiercely. "And don't you dare doubt me on that."

"Hokage-sama ordered it," they said, not removing their hand.

"You think I honestly give a damn about the old man right now?" I growled as I grabbed their forearm. I pulled it out of my shoulder as I looked straight into the eyes hidden away behind the mask. "I'm willing to bet he's going to die in a month anyway, so fuck off." I shoved the arm away with all of my strength before looking back towards the woman. "I'm checking out. Give me the forms I have to sign right now."

"I-I can't..." She said nervously while shaking under my glare.

Kakashi-sensei appeared next to me in a puff of smoke. "I have orders from Hokage-sama to take him. Let him sign out."

"But Hokage-sama-"

My sensei looked over at the ANBU with a rather serious expression. "He's going to Inoichi."

The person immediately backed off before disappearing in their own puff of smoke.

"Yamanaka Inoichi-san, huh?" I questioned as I signed my release forms.

Kakashi-sensei didn't reply as I handed my forms back. He instead put his hand on my shoulder and teleported me to the training grounds that he tested my team and I in.

"This isn't Inoichi-san's office," I pointed out as I watched the man walk over to the stone.

"Ren, shut up," he demanded, making me shut my mouth in surprise. He gave a frustrated sigh as he stood before the memorial. "Do you see this stone?"

"Yeah," I answered as I crossed my arms.

"No, you don't," he said before looking back at me with a furrowed brow. "Ren... Look at this stone."

I looked down at the stone silently. My eyes gazed over it before looking back at Kakashi-sensei. I realized he wasn't happy with me, so I turned my eyes towards it once again. I gave a deep sigh as I began to observe the memorial carefully. As my eyes read off each name one by one, I finally understood the man's point. "I'm sorry."

"That's better," he approved as he looked back to the stone.

I rubbed my arm nervously as I stood next to him. "I'm in big trouble, huh?"

"Yes, you are," The jônin replied, making me cringe slightly.

"I suppose you want to know about my anger now?" I inferred.

"Yes, but I still have something else to do. Wait here until I get back." And so, he left me all by my lonesome.

The seal...

Yeah, I agreed before pulling out the small seal that I had made with my own blood during a certain break in time I had. I put it on my forehead, sealing away Maso and Sado for the time being. I gave a deep sigh as I sat before the memorial. I watched it carefully, allowing my mind to be consumed by nothing but the stone and the names on it.

"Ren!"

I blinked a few times before realizing how much time had passed. I straightened out before raising up a hand. "Yes, Sakura? Ino-chan"

"Ninpō: Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Ino-chan yelled out.

Ino looked around the black abyss in confusion. "What is this?"

"Is this really what you have to put up with all the time?"

"You get used to it."

"Who is that?" Ino muttered before walking towards where she thought the voices were coming from. She squinted her blue eyes before jolting at the sigh of a light in the distance. She quickly ran towards it, eager to see if Ren's mind worked like Sakura's.

"Yeah, but it's lonely."

"That's kinda the point."

Ino slowed down as her eyes widened. She stood several meters away from two people chained up.

The one on her left had his entire body wrapped up in chains that extended out into the darkness, several seals hanging from those chains. He looked like Ren, however the expression on his face was quite twisted. He looked down towards the other person with a grin. "I bet you expected sunshine and rainbows."

The second Ren looked up at the first with disapproved. He sat down in the darkness with his legs hugged to his chest. He was clothes-less, causing Ino to blush a bit before forcing herself to look at his face. A single chain was tied around his right ankle that lazily seemed to trail into the darkness behind him. "I didn't expect that, but..." He trailed off before giving a deep sigh. "I'm scared... What if he really does end up dying and disappearing?"

The first Ren rolled his eyes before spotting Ino, who had walked a bit closer to get a better view of the two in front of her. He grinned widely as his eyes narrowed in on the blonde's worried expression. "Well, well, well..."

The second Ren's brow furrowed before he followed the other's gaze. He blinked a few times in surprise upon seeing Ino. "Uh... Is that normal?"

"Not at all," the first answered before giving a dark chuckle. "Hey, little bitch. Whatcha doing here?"

"Sado!" The second yelled scoldingly.

The other white-haired boy rolled his eyes before scowling. "Can't I threaten to kill someone in peace? I mean, for fuck's sake-"

Several chains came out of the darkness and finished wrapping up Sado's body, hiding him from the girl's sight.

"Geez... This seal is much harsher..." The remaining Ren muttered before looking towards Ino. "Um... Hi."

"What's going on?" Ino asked as she took a step back.

"Sado is being punished," he answered with a shrug.

"But... That was Ren..." She said, unable to wrap her head around what she had just seen.

The amber-eyed boy shook his head. "No, it's Ren's sadism, Sado for short. I'm Ren's masochism, Maso for short. You're Ino, right? What are you doing here?"

"I don't understand..." The girl said slowly while hesitantly approaching Maso.

Ren released a loud hum as he threw his head back. "Aw, man. How can I explain this so it'd make sense...? How about...? Ah! I got it!" He turned his head down and smiled at the blonde. "Okay! Let's think about it this way! Sakura has an Inner Sakura, right? Well, Ren has three parts of his personality! One is Sado-" He pointed at the one that looked like him before pointing at himself. "-One is Maso, and the other is... uh..." He trailed off as he looked away, his finger bending a bit as his confidence left him. "That's the hardest to explain... Um... So... He's basically the Ren that you know, only he's, like, the determination to hold up his dream. Does that make any sense?"

"N-no..." Ino answered warily.

Maso gave a deep sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "Okay... Let me try again..." He looked up at Ino and gave a serious expression. "Sakura has two minds. One is her normal self that you've gotten to know, and the other is her Inner Sakura. You understand that much, right?"

Ino nodded hesitantly.

"Well the two of us together make up Inner Ren," Maso explained as he motioned between himself and Sado, who was still trapped inside of his chains. He kept his thumb pointed towards Sado and said, "He's the more sadistic, dark, and sarcastic part." Maso pointed his thumb towards himself. "I'm the more masochistic, laid-back, and protective side." He dropped his hand down before looking up. "And the Ren in control right now is basically what's left."

"So... Were you always three parts?" Ino asked hesitantly.

Maso blinked a few times in surprise before looking over at his companion. "Yo! Did you hear the question?!"

Sado gave a muffled sigh through the chains. The chains suddenly began retreating so that his head could be visible once again. "I'll explain it once, and only once. Get it, bitch?"

Ino gained an irked expression at the name, but pushed it aside to get the knowledge she desired.

"When Ren was just a little kid, even before he had met you, he had both an Inner Ren and an Outer Ren. Dipstick here-" Sado tilted his head towards Maso. "-and I made up certain parts of Inner Ren, okay? Ren's anger, protective nature, and smarts made up his Inner Ren. Outer Ren was made up of his joy and innocents."

Ino looked down as she muttered, "I see-"

"No, you don't," Sado objected with a dull expression. "Outer Ren is barely alive at this point in time, and Inner Ren is going to crumble right along with him."

The blonde flinched in surprise. "What?"

His white eyebrows furrowed as his amber eyes held the utmost seriousness. "The new seal he's made... It has significantly harsher effects than I originally accounted for. In sealing away his Inner Ren, he has also cut off the connection. One cannot survive without the other. It's like comparing the human brain and the heart. We're the brain, and he's the heart."

"So then he just needs to take off the seal, right?" Ino asked as she got ready to leave.

"It's not that simple," Sado replied, causing the blue-eyed girl to pause. "The damn fool thinks sealing away his less desirable parts will earn the love and support of the one person that means everything to him. He's just going to do it again if you can't convince him to stop."

"But how do I do that?" Ino questioned.

Sado gave a shrug even though he did know the answer.

"So back to what he was saying about Inner Ren - along the way, we split in half. His protectiveness over Sakura and the rage from seeing her injured is what allowed him to break away, making him a sadist. I, meanwhile, had ended up mixing with Outer Ren, gaining joy from being hurt which also meant that I was being hurt in Sakura's place. Outer Ren lost his innocents and is really an empty shell that's a bit too moldable for his own good. He crumbles under the littlest thing and often decided to take things to heart when they don't really mean anything in context." Maso gave an annoyed sigh before looking away. "I mean, he decided to seal me of all things away just because Sakura took something completely out of context and flipped it onto its head. Outer Ren's is out of his flipping mind right now."

Sado released a scoff. "Oh my gods. Just say fucking. Flipping is so childish, it disgusts me."

"Flip, flip, flip-a-dip," Maso replied sarcastically while glaring at his companion.

"I'm gonna strangle you in your damn sleep!" Sado spat out, only for the chains to return to cover him again.

"Loser," the other Ren replied with a smirk. He then cleared his throat and continued on. "Okay, so back to my rant..." He looked back up towards where Ino had previously been, only to deadpan at the empty space. "Oh... Well she doesn't have to be a jerk about it. You could have said you had to go or make up a good lie. I mean, rude much?"

I groaned as I sat up, my head throbbing. I messaged my temples before feeling my seal still on my forehead. I'm gonna be in big trouble.

"So does he have an Inner Ren, too?" Sakura asked, ignoring how I was right there with a pretty bad headache.

Ino-chan didn't reply and instead stomped over over. "Haruno Ren!"

I looked over my shoulder at the blonde, only to get a foot in my face. I released a noise of pain as I slumped against the monument. "What was that for?"

She slapped my face harshly. "How dare you?!"

"W-whoa! What did he do?!" Sakura asked nervously as she ran over. She paused after she too was slapped across the face. After taking a few seconds to recognize she was slapped by her love rival, she immediately grew angered. "What was that for, Ino?!"

Ino-chan pointed down at me and glared, her blue eyes nearly piercing holes through my head. "First off, take that damn seal off!"

"No way!" I objected as I stood up.

She smacked my face again before forcibly taking it off. She then turned pointed her finger towards Sakura and yelled, "Tell her why you're making yourself seals!"

"Eh? She already knows," I said, waving her off while making a plan to get my seal back.

"Tell her the real reason," the Yamanaka growled.

I stared down at her with narrowed eyes as Sakura looked between us in confusion. "Which one...?"

"Both," she answered.

I gave a deep sigh before pinching the bridge of my nose. Coulda sworn I said I'd take that one to the grave with me.

"Now, Ren!" Ino-chan demanded.

"Fine!" I snapped before looking over at Sakura sadly. "I'm really sorry about this. I never actually wanted to inconvenience you with this knowledge. Um..." I rubbed the back of my neck while considering just leaving.

"Ren... What aren't you telling me?" My little sister asked as she took a few steps forwards.

"Do you remember, several years ago...?" I gave a deep sigh as I closed my eyes. "Uh, our fifth birthday... What I did was wrong. I scared you, hurt you, and mentally scarred you. Because of the way you seemed around me, I sealed away the things I felt were going to scare you off. What was left became what you knew to be me until the bridge incident. Kakashi-sensei had forgotten about me several times already, and then he said, "You're you." You agreed, so I asked what not me was. That's how I came to seal away the me that you had gotten to know. You didn't like either, so I..."

"Are you serious?" Sakura asked softly.

I opened my eyes and looked down at her in confusion. My confusion turned to worry upon seeing her state.

Her head was tilted down, a shadow covering her green eyes as her pink hair hung in her face. She was shaking as she bit her lower lip, her hands clenched into fists as the sat on her chest.

"This is why I didn't want you to know," I grumbled as I shoved my hands into my pockets. "It's nothing for you to get sad-"

"Sad?!" Sakura barked at me as she lifted her head. Her rage barely registered in my mind before she slammed her fist across my face, sending me crashing into the memorial. "I'm furious!"

I blinked a few times as my brow furrow. "What?"

She grabbed me by the front of my hospital shirt and pulled me to my feet. My twin shook me as her anger seemed to reach its peak. "Do you think this is funny?! When the hell did I ask you to seal yourself away?!"

"Hah?! When did you not?! I mean, you're scared of Sado, and just recently, you said you didn't like Maso either!" I yelled back as I pushed her hands away.

Sakura delivered another solid punch to my face. "Idiot! Even if I'm scared, even if I'm sad, even if I'm angry... I never once wanted you to change!"

"But you-"

"Shut up!" She demanded before releasing a sniff. Tears came from her jade eyes as she glared down at me. "Just... shut up..."

I did as she commanded and stared at her silently. I sat criss-cross style and placed my hands on my knees.

My sister took a moment to compose herself before taking in a deep, yet shaky, breath. "Ren... I love you, but sometimes you're so stupid it makes me want to beat you to the ground."

"I'm sorry," I apologized as I hung my head.

"I never asked you out right to change, right?" She questioned.

I shook my head.

"You love me even though I'm weird sometimes... Why would you think I'm not capable of doing the same?" My twin asked as she looked down at me sadly.

I felt my eyes widen at that. As I looked into her eyes, I finally realized the big error that I had made. I felt my eyes burn before I stood up. "I never meant-"

She shook her head before wiping her eyes once again. "N-no... I know that you always try to read between the lines when it comes to other people. I should have realized earlier that I-"

"No," I interrupted, making her look at me in confusion. I pulled her into a hug as I closed my eyes. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, especially not concerning my own twin sister. I should have just asked."

"Neither of you are free from blame," Ino-chan said, reminding me that she was still here. She watched us with her hands on her hips, her sass knowing no bounds as she stared at us. Even though a stern expression sat on her face, her eyes held happiness.

"What are you still doing here, Ino-buta-chan?" Sakura asked rudely as she glared at her rival over my shoulder.

"Helping you two idiots out," she sassed back.

My sister immediately grew irked, but calmed down after hearing me chuckle. "Ren?"

"It's nothing," I muttered as I took a step back. I wiped my eyes before smiling at her. "I won't seal myself up anymore, okay?"

The pinkenette gave a nod of approval. "Good! And I won't ignore any weird signals you give off!"

I gave my own nod. "Great! Now, go visit Duckass or whatever."

Sakura punched my head. "I told you to stop calling Sasuke-kun that!"

Ino-chan immediately followed up with her own punch. "You better not call Sasuke-kun names when I'm around!"

I huffed as I laid on the ground. "He's not so great. He's just some egotistical loser with a haircut in the shape of a duck's ass."

They simultaneously brought their dominant foot down on my stomach. "Shut up!" And with that, they walked off while angrily discussing how much of an asshole I was.

I snickered as I rolled towards the stone. I then sat up and once again allowed my mind to be enveloped by the stone.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to still be here."

I rolled my eyes. "Even I can follow directions, Kakashi-sensei."

"Sometimes, I wonder about that," he replied, making me snort. I looked back at him before realizing that there was a brunette standing next to him. "Who's the weirdo?"

The eyed man looked over my sensei with a slightly annoyed expression. "Kakashi-senpai, please tell me that this is a joke."

"...Wait a second..." I demanded as I looked the new man over.

"Stop checking him out," Kakashi-sensei demanded as he karate chopped my head.

"No! It's that wood-loving ANBU I told you about!" I exclaimed as I pointed at the brunette. "His voice, pattern of speech, and body language are the same!"

Kakashi-sensei rolled his eye. "Yeah, sure."

I narrowed my eyes at the black-eyed brunette who shifted awkwardly under my gaze. "I'm onto you..."

"O-okay..." He replied nervously before quickly scooting over to my sensei. "He's kinda creepy."

"He's one of the best," Kakashi-sensei replied, his words having two meanings to them.

Ah, I'm one of the best at being creepy, huh? I asked myself as I looked back at the stone. "Alright, so what is the wood-loving ANBU doing here?"

The brunette sighed before his black eyes pierced through the back of my skull. "Did it ever cross your mind that ANBU members wear a mask for a reason?"

"Of course, I know it's to keep your identity hidden, but who the hell is going to come out here just to find out who you are?" I asked bluntly.

"He does have a point," Kakashi-sensei said with a small shrug.

"S-senpai!" The man objected as he looked up at Kakashi-sensei.

"Anyways, this is Tenzō," Kakashi-sensei said as he motioned to the doll-eyed man. "Tenzō, this is Ren. I think the two of you may be able to work on Ren's lotus jutsus to improve it and make it stronger."

"Kakashi-sensei, my jutsu kills people given enough time. How much stronger could it get?" I asked as I looked back at him with a blank expression.

"I'd like to see how you primarily use it," Tenzō-san stated as he got into a teaching mode.

I gave a small shrug before kneeling down and drawing a kunai. I carved a lotus into the ground before performing the necessary handsigns in order for the black flower to bloom. I then brought my finished project over to the man with slight boredom.

Tenzō-san looked my flower over before giving himself a small nod. "Now I want to see how fast you can make one of these."

I thought of my poor senpai's state and watched as black lotuses bloomed around me at a rapid pace. "Like that?"

"What do you do in order for you to create these?" Tenzō-san asked as he began to survey the newest lotuses I created.

"I get super depressed and/or angry," I answered.

"Hm... How did you originally make this jutsu?" He questioned as he began to gather up my flowers.

"Well... I just got so angry that I stabbed a tree quite a few times and attempted to set said tree on fire with the Uchiha-famous fireball jutsu. Instead, a lotus bloomed from the tree," I explained, keeping out a few key details about my trials and failures with actually setting the tree on fire before hand.

"Is that so...?" He questioned before looking me in the eye. "I want you to watch what I do carefully and try to replicate it. I know it'll probably fail, but since you and I can both use living plants, I figured something similar may occur."

I gave a nod before standing back. I watched as he held his palms up.

"In my right hand, I have earth chakra. In my left hand, I have water chakra. When I put them together..." Tenzō-san did so, making the sign of the snake, the same handsign I typically finished off with when using my technique. "I can create wood and other various plants. I can make these plants sprout from any surface, including my own body since my chakra is literally being turned into a source of life. I believe you are doing the same thing through much more complicated means. If I am right, then you may be able to use your lotuses like I can use my mokuton."

I gave a nod before watching his hands touch the ground.

Wood sprouted from the ground and slowly formed itself into a lotus-looking thing.

I gave a hum before scratching my cheek. "Well... As cool as that explanation and demonstration was, I don't know what chakra nature I am."

"Eh?" The brunette questioned before looking over at Kakashi-sensei with an accusing expression. "You said that he knew everything he'd need to."

The silver-haired man gave a small shrug before holding up his index finger. He disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving behind an awkward silence between us.

"So... How'd Kakashi-sensei convince you to teach me?" I asked as causally, but still awkwardly, as possible.

The black-eyed man gave a deep sigh. "I owe him a few favors."

"So did you two work together in the ANBU? Was Kakashi-sensei cool, or was he just as laid-back as he is now?" I questioned eagerly.

"Kakashi-senpai has always been pretty cool," Tenzō-san replied as he sat down, the barrier between us broken. "He was that taichō of our team, actually. He and I worked together once before I joined the ANBU and then his squad. We were actually quite the team."

I noticed how happy he looked and gained an impish grin. "So are you crushing on Kakashi-sensei?"

The man deadpanned as he stared at me. "No."

My grin grew wider. "I think you're lying~!"

The brunette grew irked before making the sign of the snake.

I yelped as wood suddenly came from the ground and wrapped around me. "Bro! It was a joke!" I lied before internally smacking my face. "Wait, why am I worried?" I teleported back to the stone and watched as the man's eyes practically exploded out of his skull.

"Th-that... You didn't just shunshin..." He pointed out shakily.

I gave a casual shrug. "Yeah. I can use the hiraishin jutsu."

Tenzō-san stared at me blankly for a second before muttering, "So you can use such a high-level jutsu, but you don't know what your chakra natures are?"

"Hey! I never officially got tested, but I do know that I'm good with earth and water!" I objected.

"If you know you're good with them, why hasn't Kakashi-senpai tested you with chakra kannōshis?!" The doll-eyed man exclaimed as he threw his arms into the air.

"Because I needed to test you," I replied with my hands on my hips.

He gained a questioning expression.

I chuckled as I looked him dead in the eyes. "ANBU-ranked or not, if you're a failure at teaching, I won't except you. I'm not going to let just anybody teach me, and I know Kakashi-sensei has some pretty weird tastes. Therefore, I set up a way to get us alone and test you."

"Yeah, but what would have happened if I had gotten the chakra kannōshis?" The wood-loving ANBU member asked with a raised brow.

I gave a shrug. "Then I would have interrogated Kakashi-sensei about you." My smirk returned. "Though, from what I can already tell, you're so caught up in your admiration for your precious senpai, you'd practically do anything he asked of you if he said the right words."

Tenzō-san narrowed his eyes at me before suddenly making his handsign once again.

A pole of wood quickly sprouted from the ground and slammed into my gut, causing me to fly into the air.

I face-planted into the ground and groaned in pleasure from the pain coursing through my body.

That's when Kakashi-sensei returned with three chakra kannōshis. He saw me laying on the ground with Tenzō-san's wood nearby before giving a sigh. "Ren... I brought him here to teach you, not for you to annoy him."

I lifted my head up with a large grin. "Well if that's all it takes to annoy him, I'm gonna be hit with his wood all day."

The man stared at me silently for a moment before asking, "Was that a sexual innuendo?"

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Nevermind!" He exclaimed before holding one of the papers out between his index and middle finger. "See this paper?"

"I would certainly hope so," I replied with a brow raised up high.

The man rolled his visible eye before the paper suddenly crinkled up.

I immediately got to my feet, ready for the explanation he was about to give.

"This is a chakra kannōshi. It tests a person's chakra nature affinity. See how mine wrinkled? It means my chakra affinity is lighting," the sharingan-wielder explained, making me hum in acknowledgement. "Should the paper have split in half, my chakra nature would have been wind. Should it have burnt and turned to ash, I would have the chakra nature of fire. Had it dampened, my chakra nature would be water. And if it had crumbled, my chakra nature would have been earth."

I gave a nod before reaching my hand out, only for him to pull the papers away. I quickly gave him an annoyed look.

"I want Sado to try one, and for Maso to try the other," Kakashi-sensei said, making me raise a brow.

"We're literally the same person," I sassed before relenting. "But if it helps me out, I'll do it." I took in a deep breath before holding my hand out. "Okay, first up is Maso."

Kakashi-sensei nodded in approval before handing over the paper.

As I focused my chakra to the paper in my right hand, the thing crumbled into dirt and fell to the ground.

"Okay. Now Sado," the silverenette ordered.

I changed mindsets before taking the paper with my left hand. I focused my chakra to it and watched as it dampened down.

"Good," he praised with a nod. "Now, the two of you need to get along together and somehow combine with each other.

I held up my finger before sitting down. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath through my nose. Then, I allowed myself to retreat into my mind.

Yo, we have to combine, I said to Maso, who was poking at where he was just recently hit by Tenzō's wood.

Aw, man... He muttered as he stood up. He then paused and asked, Don't we have to get really pissed in order to do it?

I gave an unamused look. Just get over here.

He trotted over and looked at me expectantly.

I slammed my fist into his stomach and said, Great. Now think about combining.

Maso gave a groan of pleasure before holding his thumb up.

I quickly slammed my knee into his face with a grin before closing my eyes.

My eyes opened before I stood up. "Okay, I think I got it."

"Before we go any further, do you know the circular diagram of the chakra natures?" Kakashi-sensei questioned, making me nod.

"Fire is strong against wind but weak against water. Wind is strong against lightning but weak against fire. Lightning is strong against earth but weak against wind. Earth is strong against water, but weak against lightning. Water is strong against fire, but weak against earth," I rattled off as I recalled the diagram.

"Correct. Since your two chakra natures are right next to each other, you may troubles combining them," the jônin explained.

I looked down at my hands while muttering, "Right. Though, to be honest, I'm better at my water than my earth."

"No problems," Tenzō-san butted in as he took Kakashi-sensei's place. "Now, remember what I said. Earth chakra to your right hand, and water in your left."

I gave a simple nod while I focused earth chakra to my right hand while my left hand held water chakra. I then pressed my hands together in the sign of the snake before putting my hands to the ground. I admit to screaming like a little bitch when a lotus half of my height sprouted out of the ground.

"Well then..." Kakashi-sensei had nothing more to say as he stared at my lotus with a wide eye.

"That... went better than I expected..." Tenzō-san admitted as he stared at my lotus in shock. He then shook his head and looked at my terrified face. "Could you try making it into wood instead of a lotus? Just in case."

I gave a small shrug before combining my chakra the same way I had before, only with a little bit less chakra. I then put my hands to the ground, only for another lotus to pop up. I deadpanned at the flower before thinking, Great. That's the extent of my abilities. I won't be rebuilding houses any time soon.

"Try mixing the chakra in a different way," Tenzō-san suggested.

I gave a nod before making my right hand hold the water and my left hand hold the earth. I pressed my hands together before placing them to the ground. I closed my eyes and thought, My chakra turns into life. My chakra will birth trees that will be mighty and strong. Or just wood. That would be totally acceptable too.

"My gods..."

I opened my eyes and nearly screamed again. I managed to hold back the scream, but not the spit that flew from my mouth as I stared at the baby tree that sprouted up and out of the ground. "D-did I...?"

"Hm... It seems that I was right," Tenzō-san muttered before looking at me seriously. "Have you ever had any surgeries before?"

"Uh, yeah. I think I had three of them," I answered.

"List them off," the brunette ordered with a serious expression.

I gave a hum before holding up my index finger. I looked towards the sky while trying to recall the details of all three. "Okay, so the first would be when I was four. I broke my right femur and needed that fixed up. Um, the next happened when I was seven. After getting an arrow through my knee, I was slammed into the ground with an impressive force and nearly had my back broken. I don't think they had to fix up my back, but they did need to go through surgery to fix my kneecap after making the arrow situation worse."

"He's the kid from the Hospital Newt Incident," Kakashi-sensei whispered to Tenzō-san, who deadpanned epically.

"Uh, and the last time was when I was ten," I continued on as if not hearing Kakashi-sensei's comment. "I ended up cutting my left ring finger off and needed it surgically attached. Oh!"

The two looked at me expectantly.

"Yeah, I just got another surgery within the last few days. I totally got my chest fucked up in the Forest of Death." I gave a laugh as I held my hands behind my head. "You wouldn't believe how sharp my kunais are."

"That happened with your own kunai?" Kakashi-sensei repeated as he pointed to where my wound was hidden away under my bandages and shirt.

"Yep!" I chirped.

"When exactly did you develop your jutsu?" Tenzō-san interrupted.

"Six," I replied.

He gave a small hum as he held his chin. "Did they transfer any cells over to you during the first surgery?"

"No, they just put in a plate and a few screws before sewing everything up," I told the doll-eyed man.

"I see... Have you ever heard of a man named Danzō?" He pressed.

I felt my eyes narrow despite myself. "You mean one of the members of the Council of Elders? Who hasn't heard of him?"

"Have you ever met him personally?" Tenzō-san asked instead.

"Not that I know of," I answered honestly.

He looked back at Kakashi-sensei before giving a small nod. He turned his gaze back to me, and his black eyes stared deeply into mine. "Ren, I believe you hold some of the genes that Senju Hashirama held, making you able to use the Senju kekkei genkai of mokuton."

"Do you hold those genes too?" I asked as I pointed at the man curiously.

"Yes, but that's not really the point here," he said, his eyes conveying to me that he was lying to my face.

I held up my finger, making him shut up. "Did Danzō surgically give you the ability to use mokuton?"

"No," he answered quickly.

"But it was surgically given to you, wasn't it?" I pressed, my eyes narrowing slightly.

He stared back at me, silent for quite a long time. He eventually tilted his head back towards Kakashi-sensei and asked, "Should I...?"

"I trust him," the silver-haired man replied seriously, his arms crossed as he looked down at me.

"What I'm about to tell you is something you can't tell anyone else. It's classified information, do you understand?" Tenzō-san asked as a shadow crossed his face. He was clearly trying to make himself seem more intimidating.

"Mkay," I replied as I motioned for him to move on.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled before muttering, "I told you he's one of the best."

Tenzō-san briefly glared over his shoulder at Kakashi-sensei before turning back towards me. "Cells from Senju Hashirama himself were implanted into me by Orochimaru-"

"That bitch!" I cursed, making Tenzō-san look at me with complete and utter confusion.

"P-pardon me?" He asked nervously, sweat visibly running down his face.

"That motherfucker is trying to ruin my sister's love life!" I exclaimed, making him deadpan. I pointed at him and glared fiercely. "Oi. Don't give me that look. My sister is the most important thing to me, and I will not hesitate to kick your ass if it'll make her happy."

He held his hands up in mock self-defense. "Okay, I hear you. She's important to you."

"Damn straight," I said before sitting criss-cross, my arms crossing themselves in the process. "Okay, continue on."

He gave a small sigh before beginning again. "Orochimaru implanted cells from Senju Hashirama, along with fifty-nine other children. I was the only one to survive, and I was rescued somewhere along the way and brought to Konoha where I became a member of the Root under Danzō's control. The Root-"

"-carried out missions that Danzō believed would benefit Konoha. Because of its core views as "the unseen ones who support the great tree of Konoha from the depths of the earth," some of those missions were less than respectable, such as eliminating individuals that were considered potential threats simply for expressing their detestation for Konoha, despite not actually having done anything against the village. The organisation's top priority was its secrecy, and most of its missions were carried out in the dark - autonomous of Konoha's authority. Root was officially disbanded after the Uchiha Clan Downfall due to Danzō spearheading the tragedy," I reported, much to the shock of the other two.

"Y-you know about it?" Tenzō-san asked with wide eyes.

"Of course, I do," I replied with a roll of my eyes. "I also know they never actually disbanded. Those Root fuckers are more suspicious than actual criminals!" I threw my arms into the air. "I mean, how self-conscious could someone be while buying some fucking fish at the market?!"

"K-keep it down," Tenzō-san urged as he looked around worriedly.

"Hah! That prick organization can't kill me, even in my sleep," I boasted, making the two men raise their eyebrows. I paused before muttering, "Uh, I mean, look at that butterfly..."

Kakashi-sensei slapped my head. "And just what did you do this time?!"

"Hey! You can't hit me until I actually tell you!" I objected angrily.

"You have three seconds," he said threateningly.

I pursed my lips as I looked to the side. "So I may have made a few seals around the house-"

Kakashi-sensei delivered another slap to my head.

"Ow! Bitch! What the hell?!" I yelled as I held my head. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"If you feel the need to do that, you obviously did something bad!" He argued.

"Hey! It was just a precaution in case some shit went down in the village!" I objected, lying right to his face. "And why the hell do you keep hitting me! That's child abuse!"

Instead of hitting me, he kicked my face.

"Hah! This pain only makes me stronger-" I cut my words off so I could release a very high-pitch scream. I flopped over to the side, twitching slightly as I cupped my most precious body part.

"You feeling stronger?" Kakashi-sensei asked, his hands on his hips.

"No," I admitted, my voice still far too high to be natural.

"Good. How does payback feel?" He questioned.

"Like bitch," I muttered weakly.

"Um... Kakashi-senpai... Why are you beating up your student?" Tenzō-san asked, clearly not understanding the relationship that Kakashi-sensei and I had.

"In a month, you'll be doing the same thing," Kakashi-sensei replied.

I perked up a bit. "Hey, will he really be teaching me?"

"What am I?" Kakashi-sensei grumbled as he pointed at himself.

"Meh," I replied with a shrug, earning a glare. I grinned at him and said, "Just kidding. No one could replace the asshole that you are."

He delivered a swift kick to my jaw, sending me to the ground once again.

"Weakling!" I announced as I got back up.

"Shut up, Ren," he muttered with a small sigh.

"Only if you beat me to a bloody pulp later," I said with a grin, my hands pointing fingers guns at him.

Tenzō-san slowly raised his hand. "Um..."

"Oh, haha," I grinned as I rubbed the back of my neck. "You're probably really confused. You see, I'm this hardcore masochist, as well as a sarcastic asshole. I have sadistic tendencies as well, so..."

"He's perfect shinobi material," Kakashi-sensei praised as he patted the top of my head.

I beamed happily at the praise and held my hands behind my back. "I'm Haruno Ren. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Tenzō-sensei!"

"J-just call me Tenzō-taichou," Tenzō-sensei said as he sweatdropped, a twitching smile on his face.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it," Kakashi-sensei said, giving a closed-eye smile. And with that, he shunshined away, probably to read his "romantic comedy" in peace.

"You don't actually want me to constantly hit you, do you?" Tenzō-sensei mumbled as he looked at me pleadingly.

"No, nothing that'd make you uncomfortable. Though if you do see me doing something stupid, verbal abuse will set me on the right track." I gave him a thumbs up and watched him give a deep sigh.

"The things he twists me into..." Tenzō-sensei muttered under his breath before shaping up. "Alright! I want to see the biggest tree you can make!"

"Yes sir!" I replied before taking a deep breath. I closed my eyes, focused my chakra, and made the biggest tree I could. When I opened my eyes, I pouted at the tree that wasn't even up to my knees. "Uh... Any tips?"

Tenzō-sensei chuckled. "Your not combining the two chakras to their full capacity."

"And how do I do that?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

He gave a small hum. "Well, everything came naturally to me. But if I had to give any pointers, I suppose it'd be to become one with the tree."

I raised my eyebrow. "And how the flying fuck am I supposed to accomplish that?"

"No foul language, or you're on your own," he threatened with narrowed eyes.

"Okay," I agreed with slight annoyance.

He gave a nod of approval before suggesting, "Meditate for a little while in the forest alone. You should be able to understand how a tree feels if you wait long enough."

I gave a dramatic sigh before nodding. "Okay, I'll become a tree."

"Good," he said despite the fact his eye was twitching from my sigh. "I'll see your progress in a week."

"A week?! Where will you be for the entire week?!" I exclaimed as he stood up. I quickly scrambled after him, only for him to shunshin away. I stared silently at where he stood before yelling angrily, "Son of a bitch!"

That didn't get him to return, obviously.

With a deep sigh, I travelled out a bit further into the forest before sitting down next to a few trees. I closed my eyes and began to steady my breathing.

The clouds moved slowly across the blue, inching their way towards wherever their desired destination was. Perhaps where they were going wasn't the location desired, but they went nevertheless as the wind pushed them along.

Maybe the trees had to deal with the same thing, but they always have to deal with the fear of losing their leaves, the things that protect them and the animals that use their branches as shelter. They have to fear the storms too, and they can't move themselves. They're rooted to the earth, but they stand tall nonetheless. They refuse to back down from challenges and help the earth, even after death.

I closed my eyes and just allowed my other senses to work overtime. I heard the soft breeze rustling the leaves as well as the chirping of birds. I could hear insects that moved around, working hard during the sunlight hours. I couldn't really taste the freshness of the air, but my nose could definitely smell it.

Feeling... That was the sense that truly allowed me to picture the world around me. The grass felt nice and soft against my skin, yet pricked me at the same time. The cool earth beneath that grass was firm, but allowed for some leeway as my fingers pressed into its surface. I could feel the warmth from the few rays of sun that managed to slip past the trees' leaves. I could even feel a slight chill when the breeze danced over my skin.

Releasing a deep breath, I began to think about my observations from a different standpoint.

What does everything have in common? Everything in nature is connected somehow. Everything is all, everything is one. One is a part of all, all is one, in and of itself... These trees have roots that connect them to the earth, and similarly, the animals are connected to the land they live in. Roots, whether physical or spiritual, connect everything, even me... I am the tree. I... am the tree...

Chakra is a powerful thing that can be manipulated many ways. Unconsciously, chakra is something that can be wielded as an unbeatable weapon. As a weapon, it can be used to cause death. However, it could also be used as a life-curing medical devise. So long as your mind can manipulate your chakra, your body should be able to carry that will out. The physical and mental strength combined into one whilst the energy of the world around tainted that chakra.

My eyes slowly opened as I released a deep breath. I sat up as I tried mixing my chakra while it was in the main part of my body. I made the handsign Tenzō-sensei did before placing my hands on the ground. I watched as a small bud slowly rose from the ground.

The small, green bud grew taller and taller as time seemed to pass by in slow motion. The green soon changed to brown as the wood became stronger and stronger, growing larger and larger. The tree grew rapidly in front of my very eyes, though it wasn't a tree that was matched the others around it. It was a different type, a fact made evident just by the bark alone.

I gave a small hum as I allowed it to grow as tall as the other trees. Once I released the technique, the tree stopped growing and remained in the sea of others unlike its own. I decided that I needed to do more research on trees before promptly faceplanting into my tree. I had evidently used up too much chakra since my control was very lackluster at that time.

Though, I must say, I slept peacefully under the shade of my tree.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

I felt chills going up and down my body as I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked a few times before realizing that darkness was all around me. After moving my body to get into a more comfortable position, I realized that I had shackles on both my wrists and ankles.

Oh great. This again, I thought sarcastically as I curled myself into a little ball for warmth. I looked down at the shackles on my wrists before debating on their color.

Even through the darkness, I could tell they were red after the many years I had checked.

Surely that red was the color of the innocent blood that I had shed in my anger and rage.

The shackles on my ankles were blue, just as always.

That had to be the color of the tears that I had caused because of my selfishness and stupidity.

I sighed deeply before turning my head towards the sky, or what I had always thought was the sky.

Soon, my sister appeared before me in a small glow of light. A sad expression sat on her face as she hesitantly reached her hand out towards me.

With nothing better to do with my time, I reached my own arm out. I was shocked when our fingers actually touched as that was something that had never happened before. What the...?

Sakura beamed in happiness before disappearing when the glow faded into darkness.

That was... weird, I thought as I looked around hesitantly.

_"Saku hasu, saku hasu..."_

I still don't know who sings this song to me... Nevertheless, I closed my eyes and allowed the gentle melody to calm me down, only for it to quickly disappear afterwards.

"Someone like you shouldn't close your eyes to this."

I frowned, not bothering to open my eyes to see Itachi who was most definitely in front of me. Okay, so that was just a fluke after all.

"Get up and look - look at everything there is to see."

My eyes cracked themselves open as surprise ran through my system.

Itachi stood there in all of his stoic glory. "Look at all the hard work you put into this and let it fill you. You deserve happiness too." After saying that, he gave a gentle smile before disappearing in his usual manner - a murder of black crows.

I stared, bewildered, while trying to reason why he changed his dialogue. Eventually, I remembered that he had said that to me once upon a time in the past.

And so, Sakura appeared as her five-year-old self. A horrified expression sat on her face as she looked at the blood that covered her, some of it coming from the various wounds on her body.

I flinched away and immediately grew sorrowful.

"You shouldn't ever run away from your sins."

I squeezed my eyes shut and slumped down in defeat. I know. I'm not going to run from my sins anymore, even if will cause me to disappear from those I care about.

"You shouldn't run away from those you care about either."

I frowned before looking up at Shisui-senpai, who was giving me a kind smile.

"If something happened where they become one in the same, you must learn to live with it and live with them," he stated, his mangekyou sharingan swirling around rapidly. As that swirl drew me in, he disappeared.

I gave a small sigh before looking down at my hands. This is all changing, and it really freaks me out.

"Hah! Did you really think your sins will ever be forgiven?!"

I flinched at the sound of my own voice before curling into a ball once again.

That voice was dispelled by that song sung by the unknown person. "Saku hasu, saku hasu..."

I closed my eyes and took in the melody, allowing it to calm me down. As the words washed over me, I eventually realized the true meaning of the song. I was being healed by that unknown person.

A small light suddenly appeared in the distance before my red shackles cracked and fell off.

"It's not that your sins will never be forgiven..." The one who had always sung my song said softly.

The blue shackles fell off and disappeared into the darkness.

You have to take the first step and forgive yourself before others can do the same," they continued.

The light in the distance suddenly expanded before filling the whole area with white light.

I brought my arms up to block some of that light while squinting at the figure that stood in the distance. I hesitantly took a step forwards, and then another, and another...

The figure didn't move away, but rather started moving something around. "Over here, Ren-chan!"

My slow steps quickly turned into a desperate sprint. I still couldn't speak, but I felt words weren't needed in that moment. I just needed to reach that person waving towards me.

"Hurry up, slow-poke!" They yelled at me.

I felt my eyes burn before my vision was temporarily distorted by tears. Don't move. Don't move. Please don't move. Just let me reach you!

They dropped their arm down to their side and instead began to rock back and forth. They were still surrounded by that blinding white light, but their figure was starting to bet bigger as I got closer.

Once I got to the three-quarters mark, my eyes widened in horror.

They had stopped rocking and instead turned around while motioning for me to follow them. They then began to run away for me.

I silently screamed for them to stop as my arm stretched out to reach them. I felt my tears return as I poured the remainder of my energy into catching up with them. Don't go! Don't leave me again! Please!

They didn't slow down, but that didn't matter. They were running slow enough for me to gain on them.

My hand was close to touching their shoulder, and just before my fingers could graze their clothes, they vanished completely.

My eyes shot open as I took in a small gasp of breath. I grit my teeth as my head pulsed in the tune of my heartbeat.

A few rays of light managed to make it through the various tree trunks and leaves. Those rays assaulted my pupils, nearly blinding me.

The ground below me was cold and hard. The blades of grass were poking into various points of my skin, making me quite uncomfortable.

Behind me was a hard surface, most likely a tree. The bark on said tree was definitely not native to Konoha.

On the uncovered blades of grass, dew sat unbothered by anything else. Of course, that dew added to the sweat already on my body, practically soaking my clothes as well as the rest of my body.

I sat up with a groan while pressing the palms of my hands into my closed eyes. My thoughts ran around rampant, adding to the pain that filled my brain. Why does my head hurt so much? What was I doing? Why are my chakra levels so low? My chest hurts a lot. It's hard to breathe. What was I just dreaming about? Why am I out in a forest? Did I pass out?

Nearby birds chirped, snapping me from my thoughts.

I looked up towards the sky before my stomach growled. I immediately held it tightly while thinking, My stomach is empty. I'm going to eat myself alive at this rate. Geez. I used up a lot of my chakra yesterday and energy apparently.

The birds chirped some more, pissing me off.

"May I think in peace?!" I yelled angrily, earning silence for a few seconds. I huffed through my nose before crossing my arms. Okay. So yesterday, I trained a lot. And that reason is because...? And like a punch to the face from a very angered Sakura, the answer came to me. I jumped to my feet as I remembered that I swore to do everything in my power to gain the strength to teach that little ginger scumbag true pain. "That's twelve hours I lost... I must be youthfuuul! I shall avenge you, Lee-senpai! Hard work and determination shall beat natural-born genius! Shannaro!"

The birds in the immediate area all took flight into the air, not wanting any part of the crazy determination which was known as Haruno Ren.

My stomach growled loudly, reminding me of its presence. "Right. Food, and then yooouuuth!" I gave a war cry to the forest before deciding to teleport to the seal I kept in my room. Just before I could teleport, however, I briefly paused and thought, I feel like this is a bad idea. I then shrugged that thought off and teleported to the physical seal I made in my room. As I faceplanted into my dresser before falling to the floor, I remembered exactly why it was I always told myself to not teleport to my bedroom seal.

My chest felt like it had just been stabbed, and not the good kind either. It may as well have faced the wrath of Haku and his fucking senbons.

I groaned as I got to my feet before kicking off my sandals and walking out the door. I tripped over my own damn foot and ended up tumbling down the stairs, only to land on my face at the bottom. I groaned in both pain and pleasure as the toes of my feet touched the top of my head.

Okaa-san poked her head out of the kitchen and gave me a worried look. "That one sounded rougher than usual. Are you okay, Ren?"

"Yep," I replied as I forced my feet to touch the ground. I then used my flexibility to my advantage and flipped my body around so I could stand like a normal person.

The blonde didn't look convinced, but she let it go in order to get back to the meal she was cooking.

I followed her into the kitchen and slumped down in the closest seat. "Did you get lonely without us?"

She gave me a playful smirk while looking over her shoulder at me, amusement clear in her green eyes. "You think I wouldn't enjoy the peace and quiet?"

I gave a laugh. "Yeah, peace and quiet. With Otou-san around, that's not likely."

Okaa-san laughed at that before nodding in agreement. "You got me there."

I patted myself on the back for a job well done before deciding to change the topic. "Did Otou-san finally ask for help with the bathtub drain?"

The woman gave an annoyed sigh. "He's a man, so of course not. He still thinks he can fix it himself."

I barely bit back a snicker. "I'm a guy too, you know."

"Yes, but you're the woman in the relationship," she said, not even bothering to look back at me.

"I'm super manly!" I objected as a blush covered my cheeks.

"Your voice cracked," the blonde pointed out.

"No, it didn't!" I screeched, my voice cracking even worse that time.

Okaa-san gave a sarcastic hum as I died from embarrassment on the spot.

I huffed before crossing my arms, only to feel pain course through my chest in a more pleasurable way. "Anyway... I'm not going to be home as often. I'm undergoing some pretty intense training."

Her green eyes quickly met my amber ones and pierced through my soul. "You better not be planning to do anything stupid, young man."

"Of course not. I'm just going to avenge my senpai," I explained as determination and youth ran through my veins.

"Definitely something stupid..." The blonde mumbled dejectedly as she turned back to her cooking.

I released an offended gasp, only for her to wave me off.

"Go take a shower. I can't stand to smell your stink anymore," she ordered.

I frowned at her before heading to the bathroom. I grabbed a change of fresh clothes and a towel on the way, of course. After stripping myself of my shirt, I decided to take in a casual sniff to see how bad it smelt. I physically recoiled while giving a small gag. "That shit is pungent, holy fuck. How could I not smell that?"

But I digress.

I took my shower and made sure to carefully wash down my wound while debating if I should have tried doing my own stitching before Tenten-san fucked up my chest even more than it already was. I also debated the meaning of life and how I was going to shove my newly-found wood powers up Orochimaru's ass to retaliate for him being a (giant dick-faced, snake-like bitch-bastard that only deserved to suffer in the deepest and darkest pits of hell for the rest of his miserable snake life) piece of shit.

As I was just finishing drying off, someone pounded on the door to the shower/bath part of the bathroom.

"Occupied," I stated before wrapping my towel around my waist. I then opened the door and stared into the unamused expression of my twin. "Yes?"

"You've been hogging the shower. Other people like to be clean to," she sassed before her eyes moved down to my chest wound. Her face twisted up in worry while she stared at the many stitches.

"It's not as bad as it looks," I said out of instinct, only to receive a punch to the face.

"It's even worse than it looks, idiot!" Sakura yelled angrily. "You nearly died!"

"Nu-uh!" I objected as I bounced to my feet. I got my clothes slammed in my face before Sakura stormed past me into the shower area.

She slammed the door, which literally hit my ass and caused me to jump forwards.

"Ow!" I yelled, only to be ignored. I huffed indignantly before wrapping up my wound and then getting dressed. I returned to the kitchen and saw that Otou-san had taken his usual seat at the table.

He and Okaa-san were bickering about the bathtub drain again.

"Otou-san, just ask for help already," I demanded blankly.

"You too?!" The dull-pink-haired man exclaimed in shock as he turned to look at me while I took my seat.

"Yes, me too. It's been two weeks since we've had problems, and some people would like a bath without worrying about whether or not the drain will work," I stated as I crossed my arms.

"You and Sakura have been gone for a week. How did you know I didn't have anything figured out?" He questioned with his own crossed arms.

"Because you can't do plumbing to save your life," I replied honestly, albeit a bit harshly.

An invisible arrow shot through his heart at that. "Oh, the pain. I think I'm dying. My own son turning against me... What has this world come to?"

I rolled my eyes with a soft chuckle at his dramatics. "Yeah, yeah. Woe is you. The world will end soon."

"Hey, cut me some slack. You can't do plumbing either," Otou-san accused.

"That's right, and I fully acknowledge that fact. I also know that I fail completely at electrical work." I then smirked and boasted, "However, I do know several things about construction now."

"Oh, really?" He mused, his blue eyes shining brightly with the hope he'd get new material for teasing and joking around.

"That's right. I helped construct a major bridge from the Nami no Kuni to Hi no Kuni," I said proudly.

"And when, exactly, did this happen?" The man with his hair in the shape of a sakura flower questioned.

"Back when Sakura and I were gone for three weeks on that one mission. Because our client needed to be guarded, I helped keep him safe while constructing the bridge that would save him and his people from ruthless oppression," I explained while remembering all the fun times that I had over there.

"Didn't Sakura mention that one girl...?" Okaa-san trailed off as I looked over at her in confusion.

"Oh!" Otou-san exclaimed before a large grin came to his face. "That little girl that developed a crush on you~."

I narrowed my eyes threateningly at my old man. "You know I don't swing that way."

The man slumped over. "I'm never going to have grandchildren."

"I bet Sakura's going to have a kid," I replied without mercy.

"But what about the Haruno name?" He whined at me.

I gave a lopsided frown as I looked away. "I guess I could adopt a child..." I then gave a hum while rubbing my chin. Or maybe children. Two boys sound good. Hmmm... What would their names be? How far apart in age should they be? If I do get kids, should I stop being a shinobi so I could stay in their lives? But what about my husband? What would he want? Would he want two boys? What if he wants a girl? I want my two boys, so would two boys and a girl be fine? Is that too many children? How much money would it cost to raise three children? How much will the prices of everyday needs rise in the future? Will I make enough to support my family?

Otou-san burst out laughing, snapping me from my thoughts. He hunched over while holding his gut, humored tears clear in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Okaa-san was chuckling softly as she put the dishes on the table.

I felt the blood drain from my face as Sakura came in while snickering. "Please tell me I didn't say any of that out loud."

"We heard everything," Sakura replied as she sat down next to me.

The blood returned to my face, if only to turn me red with embarrassment. I groaned while covering the majority of my face with my hands. "Please, don't tell anyone. I'm never going to live that down."

"Oh yeah? I'm sure the others would love to hear about this," Sakura teased with the shit-eating grin I always wore while teasing her.

"No!" I screeched as I stared at her in horror. "Anything but that! I'm the sarcastic asshole on the team, not the pushover baby that thinks about my future! They can't know about this, or else it'll throw off the team dynamics! How would you feel in Uzumaki-kun suddenly used his brain?! It would be devastating!"

Okaa-san swatted my head before scolding, "Inside voice, young man."

"Sorry," I apologized before turning back to my sister.

She was clearly contemplating my words as Okaa-san finally sat down at the table. Finally, she gave a sigh and said, "Yeah, I understand. It would be really awkward if they learned that."

I gave a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to tell them," the pinkenette declared.

A giant boulder mind as well have crashed down onto my head at that point.

"Alright. Breakfast is ready to go," Okaa-san said as she picked up her chopsticks.

We all thanked the gods for our meal before digging in.

I was a human vacuum that sucked down all the food I could. I needed the energy, especially if I was going to get a good hold on my mokuton. Remembering that I had mokuton, my head snapped around to my parents. "Are we, at all, related to the Senju clan?"

Both of them looked taken aback by my question. They then looked confused and shared expressions before turning back to me.

"Not that we know of, why?" Otou-san questioned.

"No reason. I was just curious," I replied with a small shrug.

"No matter how much you ask kami-sama, you're not going to be related to Senju Tobirama," Sakura said with a slightly annoyed expression.

"That's Senju Tobirama-sama!" I corrected as I pointed at the monster dramatically. "And if you can fantasize about being an Uchiha, I can fantasize about being related to that badass of a second Hokage."

She smacked me for revealing her "secret" to our parents. "Shut up! Your brain was clearly scrambled from fighting!"

"Speaking of which-" I leaned towards her, a serious expression on my face. "-how is Lee-senpai?!"

Her expression suddenly changed, and she looked away from me. "From what I heard, he's still sleeping in the hospital. The medics said that... that he's... He's never going to be able to be a shinobi again."

I clenched my teeth as anger filled me to the brim. I managed to hold everything back, however, and silently finished my meal before excusing myself. I silently walked through the streets until making it to the training grounds Lee-senpai's team would always train at. I paced around there, my body filled with nervous energy as I waited for something unknown to even myself. I was just a ball of pent-up anger and nervousness, and I had only waken up an hour earlier in the day.

After pacing around for about half an hour, the remainder of Team Gai had showed up, both Tenten-san and Gai-sensei following after a stoic Neji.

"Ren! What are you doing here? Shouldn't Kakashi be teaching you for the upcoming exams?" Gai-sensei questioned, snapping me from my pacing.

I looked over at him blankly before stating, "Kakashi-sensei is training Sasuke. He set up a sensei for me, but the guy ditched me for a week."

The black-haired man frowned at my response. "You aren't his favorite?"

"I'm a sarcastic piece of garbage. What do you think?" I asked with a deadpanned expression.

"Don't say those things about yourself! They aren't youthful at all!" The man with well-defined cheekbones scolded loudly.

I hummed before narrowing my eyes. "If you had to set up a sensei for your other students, you wouldn't pick an asshole that ditches your student within an hour of getting to know them, right?"

"Of course not!" He exclaimed, making me nod to myself.

"Just as I thought! Kakashi-sensei is an inferior teacher!" I announced before putting my hands on my hips, my eyes directed towards the rival of my senpai. "So Neji, are you actually going to train, or do you think you can breeze through the finals?"

"Of course I'm training. What exactly are you doing, hm?" The Hyuuga shot back at me, his pupilless lavender eyes narrowed at me.

"Nothing! My fucking taichou bailed, my sensei also bailed, my senpai is in the hospital, and my sister is planning to ruin my life!" I yelled while flailing my limbs about. I then paused and looked at Tenten-san. "Hey, do you have any weapon suggestions for me? I need something larger than a kunai, but not quite a sword's length."

She raised one of her brown brows at me. "What exactly would you be needing it for?"

"...Stuff," I replied after a small moment of silence.

Her brown eyes clearly reflected the several apocalyptic scenarios she thought up.

"It's not going to be anything illegal," I lied.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, her hands placing themselves on her hips. Yep, she had the woman-intuition at the young age of thirteen that told her that she was being bullshitted.

"Probably," I added in despite knowing it was totally going to be for illegal uses.

Tenten-san gave a deep sigh while finally relenting. "Fine, I won't ask." She straightened herself up and looked at me seriously. "Do you know what a tantō is?"

I released a loud gasp as my entire life fit together like finished puzzle

"I didn't ask if you found the meaning of life," the brunette mumbled, but I internally waved her off.

"A tantō... Of course. It's long enough so that I can reach a good distance, but short enough to keep me from being out of my comfort range. Though, it does weigh more and my wielding will be a bit faulty until I can get used to the proper movements. I also need to build up familiarity with the grip as well as the necessary muscles." I gave a small hum while rubbing my chin, countless factors racing through my mind as I began to plan out my practice.

"I'm assuming that's a yes to the tantō idea," Tenten-san stated with a raised brow.

I nodded eagerly. "Yes, thank you. I'll work on that later. Ugh, I have so much to do, but so little time. A month isn't really long, but I need to look up seal information, learn how to control my new jutsu, figure out how to properly wield a tantō... The list is endless."

"Did you say new jutsu?" Neji questioned, causing me to tense up a bit.

"...No..." I replied while looking back at him with a straight face.

His eyes narrowed threateningly as shadows fell across his face. "You learned a new jutsu in one day?"

"Technically, no," I answered with a small shrug. "I just modified it so that it'd work more efficiently. But thank you for reminding me to I need to find a scroll so I won't have my head shoved up my ass during the finals."

"Can you tell me?" Gai-sensei questioned in a loud whisper as he slid next to me.

I looked over at him suspiciously before asking, "You won't train Neji to counter it, will you?"

"It'll stay between us," the man with rather well-defined cheekbones promised, a sparkle in his eyes.

I looked at the other two with narrowed eyes. "Hm..."

Tenten-san rolled her eyes before motioning for Neji to follow after her.

I watched them walk a good distance away with their ear covered. I then looked at Gai-sensei and stated, "Bloom." I quickly sprinted away without giving him the chance to fully process my words.

Once I got back to town, I immediately went to the weapon shop that was recommended by practically every ninja in Konoha. I entered the place and strolled over casually to the place where the tantōs were kept. I looked over their selection carefully, weighing each of them out with my grip while inspecting their length, durability, flexibility, and dexteterity.

Once I decided on the one I wanted, I took it to the front desk and rung the bell. I fished around my back pouch for my wallet and began to pull out the needed money when a woman came up to the counter.

"Are you sure you want that one?" The woman questioned as she looked at the blade with a raised brow. She pointed over to the section of kunais that were displayed and inquired, "Aren't those what you're looking for?"

"No," I objected while placing the tantō onto the counter. "I would like to purchase this blade in particular, please."

Her brow raised higher before she finally shrugged it off. She rang me up and told me my price, which I paid begrudgingly.

I then departed as fast as possible and practically sprinted to the top of the Hokage Monument. Once there I made a kage bunshin that would do a little infiltration for my benefit. I then opened my tantō, setting the sheath aside for the moment, before making several more kage bunshins. I had them each go their separate ways and practice only one move with the tantō.

One doppelganger swung in a straight line down while its counterpart swung up in a straight line. Another swung down from right to left. A different one to the two prior swung down from left to right. A certain clone swung from the bottom left to the upper right while another swung from the bottom right to the upper left. One more swung from right to left while a different one swung in the opposite direction. One stabbed the air before it. Another stabbed the air behind it. Of course, those were all performed with my dominant right hand. Naturally, I also needed my left hand to hold that kind of muscle memory, so I made another batch of closed that would work on that.

I knew that the muscles I developed wouldn't transfer from the clones to myself, but I also needed to focus on the other task that I was undertaking - or rather my original bunshin was undertaking. I needed to gather information on several different topics from the ANBU-protected shinobi records hidden away in the Hokage Monument, so my kage bunshin was going to infiltrate it and recover all the information it needed at any expense, save for getting caught of course.

As I sat meditating with tantō in my lap, I recalled the joke Okaa-san would always make to Sakura and I.

"We're heading out to play," I stated as my twin and I got our sandals on.

Okaa-san poked her head into the front hall while smiling. "Behave while you're out. If you can't behave, don't get caught."

"We'll behave," Sakura promised, though I didn't actually back up that promise.

The woman chuckled down at us, not knowing that her words had impacted her son in a very particular way.

I smirked as I sat with my eyes closed, saving up what little chakra I had left so I could later try to get a grasp on my mokuton.

Naturally, I also needed to read a book on the trees native to Konoha since my trees looked as though they came from a slightly different origin. Perhaps it was some sort of gene mutation that caused my trees to be slightly different, but it could have also been because I only had the very basics of knowledge on the kekkei genkai. I needed to obtain a scroll from Tenzō-taichou once he decided to bother himself with training me.

Time seemed to crawl by as I got a tan on top of the monument. I used that time to get in tune with the rhythm of the world.

Rhythm connected everything. Since each individual thing had a rhythm, it had to find a way to fit its rhythm in with everything else. When the rhythms fit together, everything worked. However, when the rhythms didn't fit together, there was disaster in that particular area. Things broke apart when the rhythm was not there, or did not agree from thing to thing.

Now, a shinobi had very specific use for such rhythms when using a blade. A shinobi should have been able to find those rhythms, and know how to work with them. It resulted in being able to cut whatever the shinobi wanted, even if that thing happened to be a mountain.

Everything was about rhythm, though chakra did help in making your rhythms more powerful.

I allowed myself to continue with my meditating until my original bunshin's memories came back to me with a suddenness that I hadn't expected. As I sorted through those new memories, my chest tightened up.

I released a harsh gasp before my focus on everything else crumbled. My rhythm had been thrown off balance, and it would be a while until I could truly get it back.

I sheathed my tantō before rushing over to the Hokage's office. I was filled to the brim with a multitude of emotions as I barged into his office unannounced.

Thankfully no one else was in a meeting with him at that time.

I ignored his surprise and walked over with sharp and narrowed eyes. "I can't believe you did that..."

His brow furrowed as confusion covered his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Five years ago... I know what happened during the major... incident," I stated while looking down at him mercilessly.

A serious expression came to Hokage-sama's face before he lifted his hand up a bit. "You're dismissed."

I felt the presence of the four ANBU members leave and waited until his hand had returned to the desk to start the end of the world. I lifted my head up as a snarled came to my lips. I glared down at the man fiercely, a firey rage certainly ablaze in my amber eyes. "So... Which one of you sick fucks suggested that massacring his entire clan was the best possible option for Itachi-senpai?"


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

I was sitting on top of the Hokage Monument - more specifically on top of Nidaime Hokage-sama's head. I hadn't been able to properly function for the past week. I was running on autopilot, though such a word didn't exist back then since this technology wasn't what it is today. I had been training everyday with both my tantō and my mokuton jutsu until I passed out. Then I'd wake up the next day and repeat the entire process.

Over that span of time, I hadn't really come in contact with anyone else as I had decided to train myself deep in the forest where others seldom go. I only came in contact with my family, but it was during the course of a few minutes since I pretty much ate, occasionally showered, and then departed for my training.

I was in the middle of training myself with my tantō when someone appeared in my chakra range. I quickly span around and nearly swung my blade at the man who had ditched me for a week.

My brunette taichō stood there with his hands on his hips. "So, have you had any success with making a tree?"

I silently sheathed my tantō before performing the jutsu that would allow me to create a tree.

Over the previous week, I had gotten better at controlling the chakra needed to make the jutsu work somewhat efficiently. There were some ups and downs, but I had managed to figure out a trick to spare myself some chakra.

I watched as his black, doll-like eyes widened in surprise.

He kept watching the tree grow until it became as tall as all the others. He motioned for me to stop soon after and approached the tree. He gave a small hum while looking it over carefully. The brunette made very careful observations before finally nodding to himself, pausing, and then nodding once more.

I stared at the brunette silently until he seemed ready to talk to me.

"I honestly didn't expect you to progress this far in a week, especially not when you barely seemed to make a tree last time." Tenzō-taichō remained silent for a moment, his hands on his hips as he stared at my work. He soon turned his head towards me and practically beamed. "I'm glad you went beyond my expectations. Since I won't have another mission for a few days, I'll help you get acquainted with the "proper" handsigns. Since you're using your own, your trees appear to be a different species, but I can get you on the right track." The man paused before scratching his cheek nervously. "I mean, if you would prefer it. I don't know if your method would be better with you considering your different jutsus and the fact it's probably genetic."

I waved his concern off. "I was actually hoping to learn the jutsu so I can use trees native to this area. It would be more effective in battle, or at least in my opinion."

The ANBU member gave a simple nod before springing right into my lesson. He showed handsigns, explained necessary chakra amounts, and then gave a demonstration of what that particular jutsu did.

I copied him with my photographic memory and gave none of my usual sass since I desperately needed to get everything I could down before the shitstorm that was bound to happen at the chûnin exam finals. Besides dealing with the snake bastard, I had to give Gaara a nice ass-kicking that may or may not result in his death.

"Alright. That's it for today. Meet me here tomorrow at 09:00 sharp," Tenzō-taichō ordered as he watched me struggle to use my chakra.

"Very well. Have a good night," I replied politely to the man before stumbling my way back to my house. I slipped in and took a quick shower before heading out to a certain flower shop.

"Welcome," Ino-chan chirped upon hearing the bell hanging in front of the door go off.

I gave a small hum in reply, causing the blonde to peak her head out of the aisle she was in.

"I'm on shift for the next two hours," she said, only for me to shake my head.

"Nah, I'm here for a single daffodil," I replied while walking over to the right section.

The girl chuckled before informing me that Sakura had done the same thing earlier that week.

"Ah, is that so? I'll take a white camellia then," I stated while heading over to the new section.

"Camellia?" Ino-chan repeated questioningly.

I gave a simple grunt in approval before my head perked up. "And I'll also take an edelweiss." I then paused before muttering, "Or would a habenaria radiata be better? But what about a jasmine flower? The pansy may be better symbolically, but that really isn't my style."

"What about giving him some lotuses?" She joked.

I glared over my shoulder at her. "Far from the one he loves? Really?"

The Yamanaka snickered at my unamused expression. "Kidding, kidding. Everyone knows you're totally in love with your sensei."

I raised a brow, especially since I hadn't heard that rumor.

Upon seeing my expression, Ino-chan gasped before getting an excited look. She walked over with a shit-eating grin and explained, "Since you always annoy your sensei and get him to hit you, people are speculating that your masochism side is really in love with the guy."

"Eh? Kakashi-sensei's not really my type though," I denied while brushing her off. "His eyes and eyelashes aren't particularly pretty, his lower face is constantly covered so I can't see his smile, and he doesn't seem to have a beauty mark. To top everything off, he put a kunai to my neck once. Can you fucking believe that?! The asshole had the nerve to shove a kunai to my neck and blame it on reflexes!" I released an angered huff through my nose before sagging down a bit. "Besides, he's an asshole when push comes to shove."

"You don't like that?" The blonde questioned with a confused expression.

"He's the asshole type of asshole." I gave an annoyed sigh before thinking, And yet I feel he's good enough to be a main player. It's not fair at all.

"So what about that Rock Lee guy?" The girl inquired.

"He's my senpai," I replied blankly.

"Yeah, but do you feel anything else for him?" The flower-oriented girl pressed.

"Admiration. He's determined enough to see his goal through until the end, which I greatly admire. There are no romantic feelings attached," I explained, my patience growing shorter with each question.

"Hm..." Blue eyes narrowed and tried piercing through my soul, but failed dramatically.

"Look, my trainer for the finals literally has the soulless black eyes of a doll. Your eyes can't effect me," I stated, completely and utterly truthful.

Her lips came out in a pout, clearly disappointed with the results of her failed intimidation. "Do you like anyone?"

I stared blankly down at the camellias before me blankly before snorting. "Nah. I don't think I'll ever find love anyway. I'm too much of an asshole myself. Besides, now that Sado is released, I'm going to be the type of asshole no one likes." I cracked a grin and looked at the girl next to me. "If I do find love, I doubt the relationship will last more than a month. I'm just so disagreeable, after all."

A smirk came to her lips as she stood up and extended out a hand. "I'm willing to bet you'll find love and have a long relationship."

I narrowed my eyes as my gut couldn't give me a definitive answer. I can't tell if she's going to be right or not which definitely sucks. Though considering I have the feeling I'm going to eventually leave the village, I doubt I can actually take part in a lasting relationship. Though, my talk with Hokage-sama broke down halfway through, and I was kicked out with the threat of ANBU supervision so I wouldn't do anything too stupid...

"You can't take it, can you?" Ino-chan teased with that damn grin that said she'd hold that over my head for years.

I huffed before standing up. I grabbed her hand and said, "I bet that you're wrong."

She looked surprised, but couldn't back down. Her expression showed her resolve as her grip on my hand tightened. "Yeah? Well, I bet I'll your second bridesmaid in your wedding."

"I bet you won't!" I objected as my own grip tightened, my eyes narrowing sharply as I began leaning closer to get her to back off.

She leaned back and our foreheads touched while sparks flew between our clashing eyes. "I bet you'll be a father of two!"

"I bet I'll be a father of zero!" I retorted.

"I bet you'll be the mother-figure to your children, and your husband will be the father-figure!" Ino-chan screamed.

"I bet I won't even get married!" I bellowed.

We growled at each other, punches and kicks ready to fly at any second.

"Fuck you," I finally spat while ducking to the side, causing her to stumble forwards. I got my white camellia before wandering off to get an edelweiss. I stood at the register and glared at the kunoichi who glared right back at me as she rung me up. I paid for my flowers and internally grumbled as she took her sweet-ass time to wrap the two flowers individually.

"Here," the girl snapped while shoving the flowers out towards me.

"Thank you," I growled while taking them away. "Have a nice night."

"You too," she spat as I left.

"Bitch," I commented as the door to the shop closed.

That was the primary reason why we spent so little time with each other. We would start bickering about something stupid, but we were both so head-strong that neither would back down. Thus, we fought and separated ourselves on a sour note until we saw each other again, in which case we'd act like friends only for the entire process to start again.

I managed to calm myself down by the time I reached the hospital and was thankful I still had five minutes before visiting hours ended. I made it to Lee-senpai's hospital room and knocked, only to hear no reply. I poked my head in and found he was asleep.

He was snoring away like he was well on his way to recovering. Though... He would never properly recover if what those medical nins was true.

I gave a saddened sigh as I entered the room. I closed the door behind myself before leaving his flowers in a small vase next to Sakura's wilting daffodil. I then sat next to the black-haired boy who I had admired greatly, my fingers digging into the fabric of my shorts.

His face showed no pain that he was surely feeling. He seemed peaceful, but the large casts definitely indicated otherwise.

I lowered my head slightly as tears began to well in my eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry. I came too late to help, and now... I'm sorry for not visiting earlier. I really should have. I'm such a terrible kouhai. Please forgive me..."

The unconscious boy didn't reply.

I bit my lower lip as a few tears escaped. I quickly wiped them away, knowing full-well that my tears wouldn't heal him or make him feel any better. "I... I really want you to know that I'm going to everything possible to beat genius with hard work..." I trailed off before a sharp realization struck me - I was a natural genius.

At the age of six, I managed to discover my kekkei genkai and developed a jutsu based off of it even though I had never been taught such before. My brains were probably linked to my kekkei genkai as well, or at least the ancestors that used it. All of my hard work was probably me just using my genius abilities and not actual hard work.

I felt a tiny piece of myself die and hung my head. "I'm... I'm so sorry... I didn't know... I really didn't..." I felt tears burn my eyes once again before disgust at my own actions ran through my mind. I can't believe this. Lee-senpai doesn't like it when others cry, and yet here I sit crying. How much of an asshole am I?

The door to the room opened, and a woman gave an empathetic smile. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over."

"Right, of course. I'm sorry," I apologized as I stood up. I wiped my eyes furiously as I left the room, ignoring the look of the hospital worker.

I didn't deserve empathy. I had betrayed his trust in me. I was revolting - a piece of garbage. No, I was scum - worse than scum actually. Ah, no. I was probably worse than that still.

I managed to get myself under control and forced on an emotionless mask as I made my way up to the top of the Hokage Monument. I had always liked to think out difficult situations on top of Nidaime Hokage-sama's rocky head, and that occasion was no different.

I sat on the top and stared at the sky that was beginning to turn day into night, the stars slowly revealing their light as the sun dipped behind the horizon. I sat there silently while contemplating all sorts of things. I contemplated my decision to confront Hokage-sama about the Uchiha Clan Massacre and Orochimaru which had eventually ended up with the tightening of my loose reigns, Lee-senpai's life-changing injuries, and my own betrayal of so many people over the years.

As the stars began to twinkle brightly, a certain song began to pop into my head.

I began humming the tune of the song and patting my thighs to keep the rhythm.

Fixer...

I can't sleep until I've erased all of my memories until today.

Ah, it's unbearable, how much I wish for a substitute to live my life for me from tomorrow on.

Let me say that everything is okay, and won't you let me blame it all on you later?

Since everything is meaningless now, won't you let me blame it on you later?

These promises I can't fulfill...

I stood up and unsheathed my tantō. I began to move along to the beat, swinging my blade around to fight a non-existent enemy as I did so.

As I finally overflow from just singular words,

My brain is being taken over.

I can't make any sense.

I can't do anything.

I can't see.

I want to fly.

I want to stop.

I can't avoid it!

I allowed myself to use the hiraishin jutsu to teleport all around the various heads of the Hokage Monument while continuing with my little dance. I performed a few dangerous moves while doing so, for example throwing my tantō into the air and the catching the blade with my teeth as it came back down to slice me. It was all in good fun though.

That's why

Just sink, sink me

Until I can't crawl up anymore.

Until I get tired of it,

Drop me, just drop me

Until I am completely saved!

I chew up the lumps of lies along with the screams blocked from my throat.

With an unpracticed smile, I'm just passing the time as I go along with this pretense of knowing.

I didn't want to turn out like this.

Today, I'm holding onto my sleepy, sleepy ideal of becoming useful

While waiting to be saved!

The first mouth to say "it's fine"

With strength,

Strongly,

Firmly,

Painfully,

Bite your lip!

Oh death, take me, just take me

Without me knowing of the past or future.

Since I hate this,

Break me, just break me.

At this rate it's fine if I become the assailant.

This frustration that cannot be eaten

Produces nothing but unbearable sadness.

Before I vomit out this dull flavor...

No more.

No more.

Just sing the next song!

I mind as well just dance the dance

Before I turn a completely ashen color.

Strike me and let it ring.

Change me, just change me

Until I fall into a deep sleep!

At this rate snatch it, just snatch it,

Exposing all of these lies I've tamed.

Through this feverishly clouded mind of mine,

I've been looking at a false image.

I've been looking straight into a mirror...

I teleported away to my hidden training ground after singing the last song. I decided to keep practicing using the tantō since I had the energy. I know that energy really was just adrenaline, but if I have it, why not use it? Though, in the end, I overworked myself and passed out again.

On the bright side, I would totally beat Tenzō-taichō to the training grounds!


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

He's late... I thought for the millionth time that morning. I glanced up at the sky before releasing a huff. "It's already ten o'clock. What the hell is he doing?"

The birds chirped in reply, but I couldn't really understand bird. They probably didn't even know where he was, if one were thinking realistically at least.

I uncrossed my arms and put them on my hips, my eyes glancing around for the man that was supposed to have showed up by now. I couldn't even sense his damn chakra in the surrounding area. I looked up at the sky again despite knowing full-well that only thirty seconds passed since I had last done so.

Tenzō-taichō had stood me up.

I began to grind my teeth as my arms crossed themselves. I began to tap on my left bicep with my right index finger before annoyance had finally overflowed from my body. I locked onto a certain chakra seal and used the hiraishin jutsu to appear, my hands pressed firmly together in the tiger handsigns. I used Konoha's Most Secret and Powerful Technique on the man who I had an undistinguishable amount of hatred for in that moment.

The brunette released a shriek of pain before immediately collapsing. "Kakashi-senpai-"

I slammed my foot down onto his side while giving off chakra that'd make me appear to be a demon. "Wrong." I grinned sadistically down at the man as our eyes met. "Though, I can't help but wonder what Kakashi-sensei would say about you ditching me. You'd fall so far from grace, it'd be pitiful for you to continue breathing."

The man shot up with a nervous smile on his face. "L-let's go to the training grounds then." His black eyes shifted over to the people who just watched me manipulate the fuck out of him. "Uh, sorry guys. I promised Kakashi-senpai that I'd train his student."

"Let's get going already!" I barked. "You're an hour late!"

"R-right!" Tenzō-taichō replied as he stiffened up a bit. He quickly turned heel and began to walk with me right on his heels.

"He definitely has Tenzō wrapped around his finger," one guy commented softly to the others.

"Yeah... Kakashi taught him well..." Another muttered.

"And the kid even used that stupid kancho move..." The last added in.

I head snapped around as I glared daggers into the man's soul. Once I saw that he jolted, I gave a vicious smirk while raising a middle finger. I then put on an innocent facade and turned my attention to Tenzō-taichou. "Ne, ne, how about we get some dango later, and I won't mention your slip-up to Kakashi-sensei? Sound good?"

The brunette gave a massive sigh of relief and stopped being so stiff. "Of course. It'll be my treat."

Sucker, I internally commented before patting his back twice. I then teleported to the training grounds and waited for him to hurry up, my arms crossed as I did so.

The doll-eyed man showed up not too soon after and began where he left off the previous day. He made sure to tread carefully since his reputation with Kakashi-sensei was on the line.

Upon finishing up for the day, I lead the man to the best dango joint in town - the one Itachi-senpai had first introduced to me when I had kinda, maybe, but not really stalked him and Shisui-senpai a few years ago.

"Ah, man. I haven't been here in years," Tenzō-taichō commented softly as he looked around the place.

I sat down at a booth and motioned for the waitress who had gotten to know me as a familiar face over the years.

"Welcome back. It's been a little while since you've last shown up. You usually stop in here once a week," the woman joked while giving Tenzō a menu.

"I've had my plate full, so I haven't been able to stop in as often. Forgive me, Chikari-san," I requested with a small bow of my head.

The black-haired woman waved my apology off. "You're still a kid, and a shinobi no less. It was bound to happen at some point."

I released a small hum while accepting that as the truth.

"The usual?" Chikari-san questioned while looking down at me with her brown eyes.

I nodded in approval. "If you'd please."

"One jasmine tea and a number five." She then turned her attention towards Tenzō-taichō. "And for you, sir?"

"Hm... I'll take an oolong tea and a number three," the brunette replied before handing back the menu to her.

"Of course. I'll get your orders in right away," the experienced waitress promised us before departing to the back where the cook was surely waiting.

"So you come here often, huh?" My temporary sensei asked as he sat back slightly in his seat.

"It's a bad habit I picked up," I answered honestly before pausing. I looked around the place before leaning in close to Tenzō-taichō and whispering, "Oi, if you've been on the same team as Kakashi-sensei, have you been on the same team as Itachi?"

His black eyes widened as a look of surprise briefly flashed across his face. He looked around for himself before hissing softly, "How do you know about that?"

"Kakashi-sensei told me because I had started to seclude myself. He didn't want a repeat of last time. But that's not really your concern..." I narrowed my eyes sharply as I gave off the best aura of intimidation I could. "Do you know what Kakashi-sensei said to Itachi that snowballed into the Uchiha Clan Massacre?"

Tenzō wasn't phased and instead sat back with his arms crossed. His eyes closed themselves as he did so. "This isn't the time or place for such things. Kakashi-senpai holds a lot of resentment towards himself for those words. If he doesn't want to tell you, I can understand. It's not my place to tell you either."

I grit my teeth as anger temporarily turned my vision red. I managed to get that under control and instead gave a closed-eye smile. "No, I understand. I wouldn't tell anyone else words that we've shared either if they caused great resentment. Though, Kakashi-sensei is really bad with words, isn't he? Hell, one time, Kakashi practically threatened to kill me." I chuckled darkly as I maintained eye-contact with the brunette.

"Well, whatever you did, you must have really angered Kakashi-senpai," the ANBU member stated, clearly done with that topic of conversation.

I released an annoyed grunt before sitting back myself. That didn't work at all. My plan is quickly crumbling into dust. I want as much of the truth as possible so I can manipulate Duckass in the right fashion. I gave a deep sigh before turning my gaze to the window we were sitting next to. Sakura is going to cry for weeks once Sasuke leaves. I can't keep her happy if he leaves, so he needs to stay. If I told him the truth, he's probably leave from Konoha anyway and try to find a way to get even. I need to tell him a portion of the truth to get him to stay. Without knowing the full truth, however, I can't choose the proper words for the situation. This is such a pain.

"That's a pretty intense expression. Does it bother you that much?" My taichou inquired, snapping me from my thoughts.

"No, no. I was thinking about something else," I denied while easing my expression into a blank one.

The man raised a brown brow.

"You see, I have this guy I look up to, my own senpai," I explained, connecting us in a way that would give us a better bond. "During the preliminaries for the third round of the chûnin exams, my senpai was injured so badly that medical nins said he would never be able to be a ninja again. It's likely he'll need casts and crutches for the rest of his life to add insult to injury." I looked away from the man and out of the window at the civilians that continued living without a care in the world. My eyes narrowed, not at anyone specific, but rather the mere thought of that arrogant little Suna ginger. "And I have a potential opportunity of fighting against that freak that injured him so badly."

"I see..." Tenzō-taichou sat up straight in his seat before questioning point-blank, "Why are you a ninja?"

"To protect my sister," I answered honestly.

"Anything else?" He pressed with slightly narrowed eyes.

I paused as I reflected upon my own reasons for actually making it this far into my journey that admittedly would last significantly longer that I had expected it to. "I suppose that... that there's another reason..." I put my hand to the scar Itachi had given me before leaving out of instinct. "I... I want the truth."

"The truth?" He repeated questioningly.

"Yeah..." I agreed softly as my eyes stared blankly ahead of me, not truly being able to see anything. "You see, I've searched for the truth for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to know why..."

The waitress came back and gave us our orders with a smile. "Sorry for the wait."

I shook my head before smiling back at her. "It was no problem. Thank you for the food."

Chikari-san nodded before taking her leave to deal with the other customers.

I gave a small sigh before beginning to eat my dango, my eyes once again drifting out of the window.

Tenzō-taichou didn't have anything to say either, so we sat in a comfortable silence.

Once I had finished stuffing my face, I turned my focus to the brunette. "I want to know the truth regarding this entire world. I favor knowledge to an extreme. It's driven me to continue to where I stand today, but it'll probably land me in a boiling pot of fire sooner or later." I gave a deep sigh before finally remembering the last reason I had wanted to become a shinobi. I looked away while rubbing the back of my neck, an embarrassed flush covering my cheeks. "Uh, there's one more, but it's not something I'd typically talk about."

Needless to say, Tenzō-taichou made a noise of interest. "Oh?"

"Ever since I was kid, I've held this huge man-crush on Senju Tobirama-sama. I don't even know how I first even got to know about him, but when I did..." I gave a huge sigh at the fact my face heated up even more from embarrassment. "Ever since whenever that was, I've wanted to be as amazing as he was, ya know? I mean, he's created a multitude of jutsu, the strongest user of mizu ninjutsu in recorded history, and even created the Konoha police force specifically to give the Uchihas an important purpose in the village. Granted they got all pissy about it since they thought he was doing that to keep then under control, but it's the thought that counts."

The man smirked at me as amusement swirled around his black eyes. "A man crush on Nidaime Hokage-sama, eh? Why not Shodai Hokage-sama?"

"Well, Shodaime-sama came off as a bit of an airhead at times when he was first making Konohagakure, but Nidaime-sama was always level headed and good in battle," I explained before perking up a bit. "Hey, did you know that Nidaime-sama sacrificed his life so that the children he was leading on a mission could survive? Isn't that so cool? His Will of Fire was awesome."

"Haha. That sounds like a bit more than a man-crush," the temporary sensei teased.

"What about your man-crush on Kakashi-sensei, huh?" I shot back with my own teasing smirk.

"H-hey, it's not a man-crush. He's just my senpai," the brunette objected.

"Mhm..." I replied with a sassily raised brow. I then perked up and questioned, "Ne, ne, did Kakashi-sensei also use his ninken in the ANBU?"

Tenzō-taichō nodded eagerly in reply. "He only used them for the more difficult missions, but whenever he felt the need to bring them out, the mission was sure to be a success. Combining that with his sharingan and sharp senses, he was practically unbeatable in combat."

"Did you ever see him use his chidori? Was it cool?" I pressed eagerly.

"Of course it was!" He exclaimed as admiration practically took him over. "That move is so powerful, he could take out twenty rouges at once!"

"That's amazing! No wonder he was a taichō," I marvelled, my eyes probably sparkling in admiration.

"Right? It's too bad he was forced to go back down to jônin rank. He was a really good ANBU taichō," Tenzō praised even though he was clearly saddened by the fact he couldn't be on team with Kakashi-sensei anymore.

"Hey, hey. Did Kakashi-sensei tell your team the thing?" I asked upon remembering what he said after the bell test.

"The thing?" The brunette repeated questioningly.

"With the bells," I clarified.

"Oh! The thing!" He exclaimed before nodding eagerly. "Yes, yes. It was so cool! I couldn't believe it when I first heard him say that. It was super inspirational too!"

"Right?!" I agreed before wilting back a bit and scratching my cheek. "To be honest, when we were first told about the bell test, he said that only three people could pass. I threw myself under the bus for that one, but ended up being the first person to pass."

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei really likes people that hold others above themselves, but..." Tenzō-taichou trailed off with a nervous grin. "If you do it too much, he'll start to get upset with you."

"Yeah, I understand that. He seems to have some very personal baggage regarding people that totally mess themselves up for the sake of others." I then released an annoyed 'tch'. "But when he does it, everything is okay."

"I know. I did that once, and he wouldn't allow me on a mission for the next week," the doll-eyed man complained.

"Ugh, so I ended up getting this big slash to my chest from a certain asshole, but then he acts like I was in the wrong since I got it by protecting my team," I told him, causing him to nod.

"He's so hypocritical sometimes, but..." Tenzō looked away as he had a tiny blush on his cheeks. "He is really cool."

"Oh! Hey, have you ever seen what he looks like underneath his mask?" I questioned, causing him to tense up.

His head swivelled around so that he could stare me directly in the eyes. "No. Have you?"

My shoulders sagged down. "No..."

The two of us allowed a temporary depression to come over us.

I straightened myself out and questioned, "What do you think he's hiding under that mask?"

The man rubbed his chin and gave a hum. "Well, it doesn't appear that any abnormality is underneath it. I think Ayame-san, Teuchi-san's daughter, has seen his face and instantly fell in love. He's probably really attractive, but doesn't want people to fawn over him."

I gave my own hum, truly considering his words. "If you were to trick Kakashi-sensei into showing his face, how would you do it?"

"Well, he can eat food down in less than five seconds, so you'd need to be very careful concerning that way. If he gets suspicious of your actions, he's likely to use his connections to others to protect what he's hiding." The man closed his eyes and put on a serious expression.

I stole one of his dangos and quickly scarfed it down while he was busy thinking up a good plan.

Suddenly, his black eyes shot open as he released a gasp. "Of course! His ninken have seen his face!"

"They have?!" I exclaimed in surprise, nearly shooting out of my seat.

"He'd be suspicious if you just ask for them to be summoned though," Tenzō-taichō said, making me nod.

"As true as that may be, I have a way around that." I chuckled as I held my chin, my eyes sparking dangerously. "You see, if I pull out the depression card, Kakashi-sensei is likely to summoned his ninken to make me feel better." I stared him down as my grin widened. "And perhaps you could sneak up on him in the meantime and force his mask down."

He made a face of discontent. "Why me? He's going to hold it against me if I were to do that."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll make a kage bunshin and do it that way."

"You know, Kakashi-senpai is bound to find a way out of the situation if you get too close to his mask," Tenzō-taichō pointed out.

"That's true," I agreed with a small huff. I then brightened up as another devious plan came to mind. "If I trick him into giving us the bell test again, I could get close to his face without him thinking too suspiciously of me."

"That's true! Ah, but how will you accomplish that?" The ANBU member asked with slight distrust for my plan that honestly wasn't thought out.

"Uh..." I tapped my chin a few times. "Well... If I say that I want to see how well our teamwork is after the chûnin exams, he should buy it. If one of us gets promoted to chûnin status, I could use that to twist his arm in one way or another."

"I see. You're going to lie to his face," the brunette concluded.

"It'll be a bended truth. I really do want to see how well we can work together after all that's happened with us," I explained as I sat back in my seat. "First the bridge, and now with all the bullshit that's happened during the chûnin exams." I gave a deep sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Who would have thought that damn snake snuck in and targeted my teammate?"

"What?" The doll-eyed man blurted out with a furrowed brow.

I looked at him in surprise before looking around. I saw that no one was eavesdropping, so I quickly moved over to his side of the table and whispered into his ear, "Orochimaru snuck into the chûnin exams and targeted Uchiha Sasuke for the sharingan. During the second part inside of the Forest of Death, he marked Sasuke with some kind of curse seal. I tried protecting my teammates, but got that slash to the chest that I mentioned earlier, so I couldn't protect them that much from the Otogakure ninja that were under Orochimaru's orders to kill Sasuke. Anyway, the curse seal Sasuke was given now has a really pathetic seal around it. Kakashi-sensei is probably training Sasuke to keep Orochimaru's seal under control in case it should start acting up."

"I see. You know, the jutsu you're working on now is good for restraining people. If that curse seal does get out of control, you can use that on him," he explained.

I nodded in thanks before returning to my side of the table. "In any case, I never asked how your mission went."

"My mission?" My taichō repeated questioningly while pointing at himself.

I nodded. "The one you were on for an entire week. Was it an infiltration mission or something similar?"

"Ah, that one. No, it was simply a mission that took place in the upper parts of Kaminari no Kuni. The longest part of the mission was travelling. It wasn't anything hard at all," the man denied modestly.

I gave a small hum before smiling. "I get it. We went on a three-week mission that was mainly spent sitting around and waiting for any enemies to show up. I got so bored, I helped finishing the bridge construction."

"Bridge construction?" He repeated questioningly.

I nodded. "The Great Naruto Bridge that was build between Nami no Kuni and Hi no Kuni."

"Ah, I see. Missions like that can get boring, but it's always best to be aware of your surroundings just in case," Tenzō-taichou advised.

"I know. If you let your guard down for even a minute, an enemy could strike," I stated as I shifted in my seat, an impish grin forming on my lips. "Like, for example, how I totally caught you off-guard this morning."

He frowned with an embarrassed flush. "I can't believe Kakashi-senpai taught that move to you."

I gave a shrug. "It's good to use when your enemy's guard is down."

"You know, Kakashi-senpai's father, Hatake Sakumo, taught Kakashi-senpai that move," Tenzō-taichō stated offhandedly.

I nearly choked on my own spit as that news smacked my face. "Kakashi-sensei is the Hatake Sakumo-sama's son?! That's fucking amazing! Do you know how strong that man was?! And yet he was so kind and humble! His brain was so smart, and his strength so legendary, his powers practice overshadowed the sannin! That's not to mention how goddamn amazing his Will of Fire was!" I gushed loudly, gaining the attention of practically everyone in the restaurant.

"Keep it down!" The man whispered loudly at me with an embarrassed expression, his finger in front of his lips. "And what have I said about cursing?"

"I can't help myself," I whined in reply, "He's another person I idolize."

"So you like people who are powerful?" The man assumed, earning an offended look from me.

"No, I like people who have a strong Will of Fire," I corrected sassily, my hands on my hips. "It's through that will that they find the strength to get so powerful. I admire them for that."

"Ah, I see, I see. So you must like Yondaime Hokage-sama," the brunette concluded.

"He was definitely strong, but..." I made an annoyed expression. "He totally took credit for some of Nidaime Hokage-sama's jutsus and gave them ridiculously long names. Though his speed was incredible, he was a bit of an airhead sometimes from what I've heard."

"Oi, oi. He was a good Hokage," the ANBU member objected while waving his hand at me scoldingly.

"I like Nidaime Hokage-sama the best," I stated without holding anything back. "He was clearly superior to the rest. If he were brought back with the edo tensei jutsu, he could practically destroy the village himself."

"All the Hokages could probably do that," Tenzō-taichou pointed out.

"Yeah, but he would be the coolest," I said while waving his arguments away.

"Either way, you're more like a combination of Shodai-sama and Nidaime-sama at this point. You have Shodai-sama's abilities, but Nidaime-sama's brains and hair. Though, your eyes remind me more of Tsunade-hime more than anything," the black-eyed man admitted.

I hummed as my hand reflexively headed for my eyes. I forced it down at the last second before questioning, "You mean because they're amber?"

He nodded in approval. "They're more of a brighter hue, but it's still amber. If I would have had to guess, I really would pin you as a Senju."

"Yeah, but I've got a few Haruno quirks that no other people really have," I stated, making the man looked at me in confusion.

"Both my twin and I have two minds, which we got from Otou-san's side of the family," I explained, earning a soft noise of interest. "Ah, well the Haruno family is weird in the aspect that they have two minds. There's the one people see most often, the one that controls them most of their life, and then there is Inner. That Inner part gives them the strength to pull through rather dangerous attacks." I raised a finger. "For example, my sister was hit with the Yamanaka shintenshin jutsu, but her Inner mind was able to overpower the Yamanaka, causing that person to retreat from her mind."

"Amazing!" Tenzō-taichou exclaimed, clearly impressed.

"Right? My twin is so amazing," I gushed while holding my cheeks. "She's so smart for her age, and she now holds the determination to win no matter what. She's so motivated and amazing."

"Does she also have...?" The ANBU member trailed off as I shook my head.

"Not that I've been able to tell, but I do know she seems to have the same affinities that I do - earth and water," I answered honestly, my arms crossing themselves. "That's not mentioning her natural talent of chakra control. I think she could be a good medical ninja if she ever gets interested in it."

"Medical nin, huh?" The man mused softly.

"Yeah. She's definitely smart enough to be able to pull such a thing off," I replied.

"Well, Konoha doesn't really have as many medical ninjas as preferred. If she does decide to take that path, then that's good for her," the brunette approved with a nod.

I smiled before looking away, my smile becoming rather forced. "When I was still little, I wanted to be a medical nin. I thought it'd be nice to be able to take care of my sister, but I found out that their main rules were... unfavorable."

"What do you mean?" The temporary sensei inquired with a furrowed brow.

"Tsunade-hime created the official system of the medical ninja along with which she created laws that her students and other medical-nin alike, should abide by. The four rules that govern medical-nin are: Daiikkō: "No medic ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end." Dainikō: "No medic ninja shall ever stand on the front lines." Daisankō: "No medic ninja shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon." I wanted to protect my sister, both with healing and battle. So naturally, I was upset. However... The last clause goes like this: Daiyonkō: "Only those medic ninja who have mastered the Ninpō Sōzō Saisei - Byakugō no Jutsu are permitted to discard the above-mentioned laws." But you see, it's actually a forbidden technique that only Tsunade-hime knows. And she doesn't want anyone else to know it unless they become her pupil." I released an annoyed huff at that. "And because I was so pissed off, I drove her out of the village via gambling debts and lost my chance to ever really learn it."

"Gambling debts?" Tenzō-taichō repeated questioningly.

"Oh, yeah. So you know how Tsunade-hime is the Legendary Sucker? I'm like the opposite," I explained with a blank expression. "You see, I had made a bet with her one day on whether or not rain would come the following day. She lost, needless to say, and now owes me an arm, a leg, her firstborn child, the necklace she refuses to parts with, and exactly 112,685¥. Though considering how long it's been since that bet, she definitely owes me some interest." I gave a hum as I rubbed my chin before an idea struck me down as if from the gods themselves.

"That's a pretty intense facial expression. What're you thinking about?" The mokuton user asked, albiet very hesitantly.

I gave a rather demonic smirk as I folded my hands together. "I've created the perfect plan to achieve my desires, and no one will be able to stop me." I gave a dark chuckle before pulling out my wallet.

"Whoa! I said that I'm paying!" Tenzō-taichō exclaimed as he pulled out his own wallet.

"Oh, right," I agreed before smiling brightly, no longer surrounded by an evil aura. "Thank you for treating me. It's been nice to get to know you more, Tenzō-taichō. Let's do this again sometime, my treat."

"Ah-"

I used the hiraishin jutsu to depart, not giving him a chance to object. I shoved my wallet into my back pouch once again before pulling out my tantō. I was going to train until I passed out, no questions about it. I needed to gain the power to deal with whatever totally fucked up plan Orochimaru had. That, and I desperately needed to paralyse Gaara to show him the pain that Lee-senpai was feeling. Ugh, just thinking about that Sunagakure bastard got my blood boiling, filling my body with some newfound energy and determination.

And so, I continued until late into the night, my body forcibly shutting down at about three in the morning.

Unexpectedly, when I woke up the next morning, I had found myself in a foreign place. I had been kidnapped.


	30. Chapter Thirty

I moaned softly into the comfortable surface I was laying on while shifting my weight. My legs stretched themselves out as my arms curled into my chest. My eyes opened a bit, only for me to see my unruly white hair.

That was a normal waking up for me. What wasn't normal was the smell.

I blinked a few times as I sat up and brushed my hair back. It took me less than a second to realize I had no fucking idea where I was.

My eyes shot around warily before I realized that I was on a futon on the floor of some random bedroom. I peaked my head over the side of the nearby bed, only to see that it was neatly made. Upon feeling the sheets, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't used in a few hours at the very least.

A noise came from me left, causing my head to shoot around. There was no one in the room, but it was evident that someone was in the general vicinity.

I silently put my ear to the wooden floor and listened to the various noises.

It seemed that I was on a higher-up level of some building - a building riddled with other people.

Shit. This is no good. I can't casually waltz out of here. I then paused before looking at the window. I silently walked my way over before peering out of it. Jesus fuck, this is a high drop. What fucking criminal builds a goddamn building this- Is that the Hokage Monument?

The pedophile snake bastard must not have left Konoha!

I felt chills run up and down my spine at that revelation. I then paused as I realized what kind of building I was in. Wait... No, this is an apartment complex. Orochimydick doesn't have an apartment in Konoha... Oh kami-sama, there's another pedophile in Konoha!

That realization caused me to start to pry the window open. Unfortunately, the window wouldn't budge. It seemed like the pedo had super glued the window shut.

I was horrified at that point, but I needed to escape. What should I do? Should I just break the window? What then? Tell Hokage-sama- Fuck, I need to tell people! I'll put a chakra seal somewhere inconspicuous and come here again later. I looked around before just putting a chakra seal on the wall below the window.

Because that was totally inconspicuous.

Okay, now let's go, I thought as I took a few steps back. Upon reaching the door that was across the window, I got into a sprinting position. That's when I glanced down and saw that I didn't have my shoes or kunai holster. I automatically reached back and found that I didn't have my tantō either.

Any plans of escape went out of the fucking window. That pedophile motherfucker did not just steal my shit that I had paid for! If they wanted some, they could pay for it with their own goddamn money!

I kicked the door to the bedroom open and got ready to fight to the death, only to see a man leaning against the far wall while clutching his nose.

He released a loud groan of pain as I sprinted past him, or at least tried.

I suddenly tripped over something before being wrapped up and hung upside. I flailed my legs since they weren't being constricted like my arms. I barred my teeth like a rabid dog as the man came stepping around me with the utmost annoyance.

"You're the worst guest I have ever had," he stated as he continued to rub his nose.

"You pedophile motherfucker!" I screamed at him while attempting to kick him.

"What are you talking about?" The brunette questioned as he finally dropped his hands from his now-red nose.

"Playing innocent won't help you, bitch," I hissed with narrowed eyes. Upon seeing confusion all over his features, I realized he really didn't know what I was talking about. I gave a deep sigh as I let my head drop down, my eyes facing the floor. "For fuck's sake, man..." I lifted my head up again so I could stare I his black eyes. "Who kidnaps a twelve-year-old in the middle of the night and takes them to their apartment without any pedophile thoughts running through their head?"

"I didn't kidnap you," the man sassed before releasing the jutsu, causing me to fall onto my head and splay myself across the ground.

I groaned into the floor, very pleased with the feeling of pain in my spine. I then stood up and brushed my clothes off. "You are forgiven for your crimes."

"Right, you're a masochist," Tenzō muttered to himself before turning heel and motioning for me to follow down the hallway.

I did so and asked, "What were you doing at the training grounds in the middle of the night?"

"Ren, it's one in the afternoon," the man stated.

I gave a laugh, not believing him at all until we passed by a clock. "Fuck, it's one in the afternoon."

"Stop swearing. You're only a kid," the ANBU member commanded.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I hissed at the brunette angrily.

"You think I didn't try?" He inquired as he glanced over his shoulder at me, a brown brow raised up high.

"I'm a light sleeper," I objected with my hands on my hips.

"You could sleep through the end of the world," the doll-eyed man argued as he lead me into his kitchen.

I immediately stopped and stared at all the shit he had piled up in his sink and on his counters. My nose scrunched up in disgust before I spat out, "What are you, an animal? This is disgusting. Where the fuck are your cleaning supplies?"

"They're just some dishes," Tenzō-taichō replied while waving me off.

I glared straight through his soul before repeating, "Where the fuck are your cleaning supplies?"

"Ren-"

"I ain't playing, bitch! Tell me where your goddamn cleaning supplies are before I break my foot off in your ass!" I demanded furiously.

Black eyes stared down at me blankly for several long, but silent seconds. Finally, he put his hands up in mock defense before opening one of his lower cupboard doors. He motioned to all of his cleaning supplies before I shoved him out of the kitchen space. Luckily, the man was smart enough to leave me alone while I began to clean his damn kitchen down.

Meanwhile, I cursed up a storm under my breath, saying things like: "This is fucking filthy," and "How could anyone stand this shit?" My favorite, of course, which was the only one that got a response, was: "Is this what a goddamn thirty-year-old virgin lives like?"

His reply was, "I'm not thirty! And I'm not a virgin either!"

To which I replied under my breath, "The fuck you're not. No girl would ever find this attractive."

"I heard that!" He announced, a certain bitterness filling his voice that made me pause for a second.

I quickly brushed off my gut feeling that told me that I needed to fully interrogate Kakashi-sensei the next time I saw him. I instead kept cleaning dishes, countertops, cupboards, and the like until my stomach told me that it was time to eat.

Upon checking his refrigerator, I realized the man probably hadn't cleaned out his old food in weeks. I gave a deep sigh before sorting through all of his food and even hit up his freezer and cupboards. After clearing out everything that had gone past its prime, I had thought up all of the individual recipes I knew before settling on some spicy chicken teriyaki bowls.

I got to cooking, ignoring anything that the man may or may not have said. I decided to make four bowls of the stuff, which cost me a total of 34 minutes of cleaning time. I also made some tea that would go along with the meal, which cost me a few more minutes of cleaning. It was well worth it though as my stomach released a bear's mating call from the smell alone.

"What was that?" Tenzō-taichō questioned as he peaked his head inside of the kitchen, only for his eyes to rest themselves on the food I had made. He pointed at one of the bowls and asked, "When did you get that? I didn't hear you leave."

"I made it," I said before bringing two bowls over to the small table.

"Made it?" He repeated questioningly.

"I didn't poison it, though you probably would have poisoned yourself if you attempted to make it. You really need to check your fridge more. Do you know how much rotting food I found pushed to the back of it?" I chastised as I went back to the clean counters. I swiped some napkins and chopsticks before returning to the table.

The ANBU member had refused to sit down, and instead stood there with a shocked expression.

"Close your mouth unless you want to catch flies," I scolded with slight annoyance before glaring into his black eyes. "Would you just sit down and eat? The food is going to go to waste at this rate."

He snapped out of whatever trance he was in and came over to the table. He seemed hesitant to sit down, and it showed on his face. Nevertheless, the man took his seat across from me.

I rolled my eyes before putting my hands into a praying position, my head bowing down. "Itadakimasu."

Tenzō-taichō quickly put his hands into the same position as he repeated the phrase I had just said.

I then dug into my food, ignoring how the person across from me still seemed hesitant.

Finally, the brunette picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a small bite of his food. Once that food touched his tongue, he began to chow down the food in the bowl like a ravenous dog that hadn't eaten in weeks.

Of course, I was disgusted by his table manners, but I didn't say anything because that would have been extremely hypocritical of me. I instead ate my meal at a normal pace.

He soon finished his food and gulped down his tea. His black eyes darted over to the two bowls on the counter, to me, and then back to the bowls. Needless to say, he wanted seconds and felt the need to gain my approval first.

"Knock yourself out," I said blankly before taking a sip of my tea.

Tenzō-taichō practically sprang out of his seat to get another bowl, which he promptly swallowed whole. Not really, but he might as well have done so. He got himself another cup of tea and returned to the table with a huge sigh of relief. "If you were a few years older, I would marry you in a heartbeat."

My face exploded red for a moment as all my thoughts of becoming married seemed to flood my mind. All of those blank spaces where my future husband was supposed to be filled out with Tenzō-taichō, causing my face to heat up even more. I got ahold of myself quickly and managed to get the heat of my cheeks to leave without any trouble.

The reason his words had such a strong effect on me was simple - no one had ever said such a statement to me before. Because of my sadism, masochism, and sarcasm, many people had taken up their own sense of sarcasm while speaking to me. That aside, nice words weren't given to me often. When they were, they didn't involve such deep topics like marriage and whatnot. People only praised me for my ninja talents, not my more human ones.

So to make in incredibly boring story short - Tenzō was the first person to ever confess that level of fondness for me that wasn't platonic in any sense of the word.

On the downside, he admitted that I was not in his age range of comfort. That, and he probably would only marry me because I was a good cook, which was not the reason I wanted to get married, have maybe three children, and be a good father.

I silently finished off my dish as I watched the man slouch in his chair with a look of content all over his face. I did the same with my tea before I began to clean up the mess I made making a late lunch.

"Ah, I can-"

"No. I made the mess, I clean it up," I interrupted while motioning for him to stay seated.

"Where did you learn to cook like that?" The brunette questioned as he sat up a bit while rubbing his stomach.

"Okaa-san," I answered honestly, "I used to help her out around the kitchen with miscellaneous chores and such, which then expanded into other chores as time passed."

"Why not leave that to your sister?" The brunette asked.

I pursed my lips. "Times have changed. Now kunoichi and shinobi alike live alone for many years. Both parties need to learn how to do various chores so their home can survive."

"I guess that's true. But as a kid, what motivated you to learn those things?" He pressed.

I paused for a moment as I tried to recall the true reason I had started demanding to be taught those things by my mother. I stared blankly at the wall before finally shrugging. "I can't remember. It was probably for some stupid reason, though. I was a really stupid kid."

"Didn't you manifest your kekkei genkai into its own form of jutsu when you were six?" Tenzō-taichou questioned, causing me to blink in surprise, not that he saw or anything.

"Ah, well..." I lowered my head a bit, flustered that I had been caught in a lie. "I was smart in some aspects, I guess. However... I wasn't a smart kid, if you get what I'm saying."

"From what Kakashi-senpai told me, you've always been smart," the man stated.

"But he only knows that from what I've told him. I like boasting about my talents to people I'll be around often, however..." I trailed off, allowing my statement to be ended in whatever way Tenzō's mind wanted it to.

He released a small hum and allowed the silence to fill the gap between us.

I felt comfortable, but the mokuton user clearly didn't feel the same by all the shuffling he did in his seat.

"Um..." The black-eyed man called out hesitantly.

"Yes?" I replied as I began to dry off the dishes I had finally finished cleaning with a hand towel.

"Do you... not intend to keep a bond with me?" He asked, causing the bowl I was drying to nearly slip from my grasp.

I managed to keep it from shattering on the ground with an inaudible gasp. I closed my eyes as I finished drying the dish and set it aside with the others that needed to be put away. I placed the towel on the counter before looking over my shoulder at Tenzō-taichō. "Of course I do. Originally, I was given a bad impression of you, though I had time to think things over. You are an ANBU member, a man who helps this country with dangerous missions unlike any other. You have much work to do for the benefit of this country, and I can understand that. I may not know the full extent, but I do know that you truly do work hard. I know that you'll need to leave for extended periods, and I know that I must wait for you to return." I smiled gently back at the man. "So please, come back safely. I'll surely be here."

Tenzō looked at me in surprise for a moment before giving a very kind smile. "Of course."

I felt myself blush at the nice smile he sent towards me, causing me to turn my head away so he wouldn't see. I didn't want to be judged for my gayness, especially not when I had the feeling I'd be interacting with the man for the rest of my life. "Say, Tenzō-taichō..."

"Yes?" He questioned as he began to move from his seat.

"Why did you take me here? Why not leave me?" I asked curiously as I began to dry the dishes once again.

The brunette released a soft hum as he began to put dishes away in their various places. "Well... To be honest, I saw you at the Hokage Monument, dancing in the moonlight."

"My white hair, right?" I asked with a glance.

"No, I recognized the color of your eyes based on way the moonlight reflected off of them." The man paused for a moment before looking over at me. "You seemed frustrated."

"Frustrated, huh?" I muttered with a soft smile. "How you could predict such a thing from such a distance is beyond me."

"Your movements were a bit forced which typically comes with anger. However, you weren't so angry as to completely lose control of yourself. Besides that, the way you used your techniques indicated a helplessness. Combining that, it was easy to tell you were frustrated," the ANBU member explained, reminding me that he had studied the human body and its movements for years. Of course, he was able to detect those things, especially considering how long I had displayed myself out in the open.

I chuckled as I finished up with the dishes. I looked over at him with a teasing smirk before saying, "That didn't explain why you took me home. Perhaps you're looking for something more~?"

His black eyes widened, his face clearly displaying that he was taken aback. After a few seconds, he cracked a grin and began to laugh. His laugher was contagious and quickly spread itself to me, causing me to also laugh along.

I managed to get my laughter under control first as I sat on the clean counter. "Hah hah, all joking aside..."

He nodded gently while taking deep breaths to control his laughs. "You see, I was worried you'd overwork yourself due to your frustration. As it turned out, I was right."

I gave a sheepish chuckle as I scratched my cheek with my index finger. "I'm known to push myself as hard as possible, and then even further in some instances. I can use a recent example actually..." I then told Tenzō exactly what happened in the Forest of Death between Orochimaru, the Otogakure shinobi, and I. As I explained everything in detail, I watched him make a more and more horrified expression. I stopped from going even further at the part where Sakura had hidden me away as to not cause Tenzō-taichō's features to freeze in that mortified way.

He took a few long moments to get all of that information processed before he finally exclaimed, "No wonder Kakashi-senpai is upset with you! I would be too! You're practically here right now because of a miracle! Not only did you fight an S-Rank criminal, but you also went ahead while you were at the very end of your chakra to try and fight enemies!"

"I was protecting my sister," I argued lamely.

"Your familial bonds must be really strong, huh?" The mokuton-user asked with a sad smile. His eyes seemed to have a far-away look in them, as if he was thinking about his past. He probably never had such bonds if his face was anything to judge by.

"Yeah. I'm probably a bit of an outlier in that regard though," I answered with a small shrug, gaining his confused attention. "I've always been overprotective of my little sister, especially because she was bullied for her oversized forehead." My blank face turned into a dangerous grin with narrowed eyes. "I was so overprotective, I nearly killed a boy my age for daring to push her down a steep embankment into a creek. I was a pretty fucked-up kid - still am really."

"Ah, really?" He had nothing more to say about it. His neutral expression and tone of voice threw me off. "Any other hidden talents?"

"Wh-what? Y-you... You're not going to call me crazy o-or a monster or a delinquent at the very least?" I asked, stumbling over my words since I had been so surprised.

"It was really obvious you were the kid from the Black Lotus incident," the man said with a small shrug. "Besides, I expected something more like... I have a double-jointed thumb or I can touch my nose with my tongue... Something weird like that."

I pouted for a split-second, but nevertheless got over it quickly. "Well... Even though girls are said to be more flexible, I easily beat out Sakura in that category."

"Show me," he demanded.

I hopped off of the counter before stretching my limbs out a bit. I then proceeded to make Tenzō-taichō question everything he knew about male anatomy by performing the yoganidrasana yoga pose.

The man was shocked beyond all words as he stared down at my body, which I had practically folded into a knot. His eyes scanned me over a few times, his mind clearly not comprehending what it was seeing. As if his eyes didn't make it clear, his lower jaw had practically dropped to the floor. His right index finger shook slightly as it pointed down at my body with much hesitance. "H-how...?"

I unfolded myself before performing the kala bhairavasana pose. "I told you I'm flexible. Though, Gai-sensei had originally taught his students yoga so that they'd develop more muscles that aren't commonly stretched with normal exercises. I took part in that training."

I forced my weight onto one hand and unfolded my leg. I extended my limbs out so I could freely perform the one-handed tree pose. "When shinobi exercise, they often exercise muscles that are already a good size, not at all balancing out their other muscles. As such, they often shorten other muscles and make them weak. Gai-sensei, who is a taijutsu expert, understood that and instructed his team to perform different exercise to strengthen different muscles. I never stopped his somewhat loose training program and have been practicing yoga for quite some time."

I lowered my weight down more on my wrist and moved my center of balance off, causing my body to become more horizontal with the ground. I was still at an angle, however, as I looked up at him from the wounded peacock pose. "With the help of yoga, I've become much more flexible, not to mention balanced muscle-wise. Certain body parts of mine are significantly more sturdy that you could probably imagine. Combining that with any normal shinobi's training, and you can create some weird monster such as myself that is incredibly resilient to most attacks since my muscles can take a good beating."

I pushed off of the ground and flipped my body upright. I landed on my feet quietly before brushing my hands off on my shorts. "In any case, you should probably start taking yoga as well if you were that surprised by my flexibility. It's unhealthy for you to not be that flexible when in the ANBU."

"With how many years I've been in the ANBU, I think I'd know which muscles to train," the black-eyed man muttered as he looked away. He was still clearly in shock at my flexibility.

"Mhm," I agreed with a small - and by small, I mean I could have started the next Shinobi World War - hint of sarcasm.

"In any case, today was a resting day since you clearly needed it. Tomorrow will be back to work. Make sure you eat properly and get some more rest. We're taking training up a notch," the ANBU member declared with a serious expression.

I snapped into a proper attitude and nodded in acknowledgement. "Of course."

"You are free to leave at any time," Tenzō-taichō stated while motioning towards a hallway next to the kitchen.

I couldn't help but give a dark laugh as my face contorted into a somewhat terrifying expression. "That's hilarious! First off, the rest of your apartment is still filthy! Secondly, you clearly need me to make you a grocery list! And lastly, I haven't gotten back my weapons, sandals, or headband!"

"Ah, right," the man said, completely unphased, while turning away. He went back towards his room and rummaged around for a second, allowing me to place multiple chakra seals around his home in case I ever needed to return. The brunette soon came back with all of my gear and remained silent as I put everything on without a second thought - save for my sandals which one doesn't truly wear inside if you had any sort of manners.

"I don't need that grocery-"

"Bitch!" I interrupted furiously while swinging my arm back. "Are you fucking blind?! Do you not see all of that shit in your fucking garbage can! You can't shop for food to save your damn life! I'm surprised you're even alive for fuck's sake!"

"No-"

"Silence!" I demanded while pointing at his face. "After I clean this hellhole, I will make you a grocery list! Then you will have two days to buy everything! Once the two days are up, you better have that food! If not, I'm going to shove my foot so far up your ass, you'll taste sandal for a week! Get it?!"

He seemed to get it, but was not pleased with all the swearing thrown in there.

I didn't care, especially not when he was living like an animal.

It was my civic duty to clean up his place and get everything in order for him since he was clearly unable to do so himself.

And so, I spent the rest of the day cleaning down his place, much to his dismay. Of course, I left several more chakra seals around at strategic locations. I never actually intended on using them if he was ever home as that would be incredibly rude of me. I would only use them if he was away on a mission, and I needed to clean his living space again.

By the time I had finished, it was nearly dinner time, so I ended up cooking a meal, ginger-beef stir fry with ramen, for Tenzō-taichō before departing for home. I wanted to help Okaa-san cook dinner as doing so would allow me to rant about various topics with someone actually there to help talk it out.

Upon getting home, the woman immediately took note of how I smelt like various cleaning products. "Did you scrub down a murder scene, or what?"

"Would've preferred the murder scene," I replied honestly as I went to the kitchen sink to wash my hands and forearms.

"That bad?" The blonde asked jokingly, not realizing I was incredibly irked about it.

"Worse!" I exclaimed. "I swear, that man is going to die via mold poisoning! How much rotten food could you let get stored up in your fridge and cupboards?! Disgusting! And who has that much dust floating around the air?! Have you never heard of a duster before?! That's not to mention the fact he probably can't cook to save his life! He thinks spicy chicken teriyaki bowls are delicious! Hah! Thirty-year-old virgin was definitely right on the mark!"

"Do I even want to know?" Okaa-san muttered as she looked at me still scrubbing my hands and arms warily.

"My sensei set me up with another sensei temporarily. The new sensei found me passed out at the training grounds, so he took me to his apartment instead of ditching me there. That man is so incompetent with house chores, it's a miracle he hasn't died and turned into some pathetic virgin mummy," I growled as I finally stopped rubbing my skin raw. I took the towel and roughly dried myself off, ignoring her raised brow.

"So I take it you're not a fan of him. Is he also a bad sensei?" The blonde inquired, causing me to sigh deeply.

I placed the towel back at its typical location. "He's not a bad sensei, but his apartment is a disaster. It sucks too since he has a nice smile."

"Ah, I see. You were hoping to hit things off with him, huh?" She asked as her green eyes pierced right through my soul.

"N-no..." I answered, not daring to look at the woman who had surely gained the devil's aura. "He's an uptight guy, so-"

"Wasn't that Ita-something kid uptight too?" The woman asked, causing me to internally flinch.

"Not as uptight as him..." I muttered before pouting. "And he doesn't even encourage my masochism. It's totally not fair."

Okaa-san sighed deeply. "You and your masochism."

"Hey!" I exclaimed with slight embarrassment.

"You can't deny it," she said before pointing at my chest. "Sakura told me all about your completely idiotic actions."

"I was protecting my little sister from a pedophile. It was completely justified," I argued with my arms crossed, my head turned away from her.

"...What?" The woman questioned after a small pause.

"What?" I asked back.

She stared down at me silently with her green eyes before finally saying, "Sakura said you sassed back an expert in torture and interrogation."

I gave a laugh as I looked away. "Yeah, that was fun. Too bad he also had zero interest in me." I gave a deep sigh before remembering his stern expression. I held my cheeks as they turned red. "If he was a few years younger, I'm sure I could have made it work."

"You're drooling," Okaa-san pointed out.

I snapped out of my trance and quickly wiped away the saliva that was trailing down my chin. "Sorry."

"Where did I go wrong...?" The blonde asked while placing her hand gently on her forehead.

"You allowed Otou-san to take me to the hospital when I was four," I answered honestly, causing her face to scrunch up.

"That man... Sometimes he's such an idiot," the wife of said idiot commented.

"Yeah. Speaking of idiocy, have you found a plumber yet?" I inquired.

"Yes, I found one. He'll be stopping by next week to fix up the drain," she explained, making me nod.

"That's when Otou-san will be out of town with work, right?" I presumed.

Okaa-san snorted. "It's the best way to get the drain fixed. That idiot will most likely interfere if he was here."

"Yeah, but..." I smiled as I looked into her green eyes. "It'd be boring without him here. He really does help keep the family together."

Her eyes widened before a smile came to her lips. "Yes, he does. His idiocy is just what we need." She then paused before asking, "When did you get so in tune with that sort of thing?"

"Ah, well..." I trailed off with slight embarrassment. "During the chûnin selection examination, I've really gotten good at reading people."

"Is that so? Good. Read people and get yourself a good man that can help support you and your three children," she teased.

"Okaa-san!" I screeched as red covered me from head to toe. At least she didn't say such a thing out in public, but it was still embarrassing nonetheless.

Said woman laughed down at me before motioning for me to help her made dinner which consisted of saba shioyaki, nikujaga, sunomono, miso soup, and genmai.

It was a delicious dinner, made even better by the fact I was sharing it with my family. Food was always better when you shared it with those you deeply cared for.

By the day's end, I had felt as though a small weight had been taken off of my shoulders for a small length of time. I knew that that weight would come back, however, along with all of the other weights. It was only a matter of time at that point. I was willing to bet on it.


	31. Chapter Thirty-One

Of course they're late... I thought as I stood with my black gloved hands behind my back. My feet were shoulder-width apart, and my back was straightened to perfection. My head was tilted up just enough to give off an aura of power, but not so much as to make me seem overconfident and cocky.

My black, sleeveless turtleneck fit my body perfectly, and my black shorts went just past my knees. My black headband was around my forehead - the proper place for it to be. I lacked my usual arm and leg warmers and training weights, but that was part of the plan. I wasn't supposed to wear or carry anything that would add unnecessary weight.

I still had my tantō on my back, along with its sheath. My kunai holster was on my right thigh as usual, and my ninja pouch was filled with different seals, wire strings, and weapons. I even brought along my sealing scroll in case everything went to shit as it most definitely was going to on this day.

I pushed all of those negative thoughts aside as I glanced at the people that were to my right.

Uzumaki-kun was at my immediate right. Down the line, it then went Shikamaru-san, Shino-san, and Dosu. To my left, it went Neji, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.

The missing asshole with the teacher that was famous for being a late douchebag was, as you may have already guessed, Uchiha "Duckass" Sasuke.

In front of me stood the shinobi that I had picked out of the crowd about a month ago with a senbon hanging from his lips. In case you forgot, he was the guy who had burst out laughing upon me announcing that Kakashi-sensei was a porn-reading asshole.

"So, on a scale of minor inconvenience to the end of the world, how bad do you think today will turn out?" I asked Uzumaki-kun.

"Hah! This day isn't going to be bad at all! I'm going to kick ass!" The blonde idiot declared.

"Shikamaru-san?" I questioned as I looked at the member of the Nara clan.

"It'll be super troublesome," he answered while giving off an aura that practically screamed, "I'm only here because my mother made me."

"Shino-san?" I asked as I looked towards the last Konoha rookie.

"It could be worse," he answered shortly.

I turned to Neji, who had narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular. "And what about you?"

"What will happen here is simply destiny. It's undefiable," he answered, spouting out his fate bullcrap again.

I gave a small hum before looking ahead. "I'll settle with nice battle royale that will end with a dumpster-fire of disasters unlike any other."

"...You're not betting, are you?" Uzumaki-kun asked warily. Yes folks, he finally understood my ungodly abilities of prediction.

"I'm not betting on anything but matches today." A shit-eating grin suddenly took over my lips as I looked down at the blonde. "Speaking of which, how much do you want to bet Duckass will only show up a millisecond before he's declared too late to qualify?"

The whiskered boy looked up as me with narrowed eyes. "So basically, Kakashi-sensei will be that late to the finals?"

I pouted at the kid. "Hey, come on. I was going to collect actual money off of that bet."

"Didn't Kakashi-sensei-"

"He's not going to know because you're not going to tell him," I stated as I glared down at him, a shadow crossing my face as it does with Tenzō-taichō.

The boy released a small shriek and jumped away from me. "H-hey! That was scary! What the heck, Haruno-kun?"

"I don't like to rule through fear, but I will do it if necessary," I replied as I maintained eye-contact.

"Okay! Just stop! It's really freaking me out!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed while looking away and flailing his arms about.

I chuckled darkly as I got back into the proper position. Thank you, Tenzō-taichō, for your wonderful teachings. I then glanced back at the idiot and asked, "Who'd you train with?"

His face scrunched up in disgust. "A huge pervert. You?"

"A thirty-year-old closet pedophilic virgin," I answered without missing a beat.

We silently nodded, agreeing that the luck of Team Seven with senseis was bad at best.

"You learn any new jutsus?" I inquired.

"One," he replied back glancing at me with those striking blue eyes of his. "You?"

"About five," I explained, earning a shocked expression. "I'm not allowed to do anything too flashy until needed though. So for the first round, I'm going to do the basics."

"So, who do you think will get promoted?" The blonde questioned with a sly grin.

I gave a simple shrug in reply even though I had already picked out the one person that would be promoted - Shikamaru-san.

"Hey guys, stop moving around. Face the customers," the man before us said while glancing back at Uzumaki-kun and I. "In this main tournament, you guys are the stars."

"Puh-lease. Everyone and their brother is here to see Gaara fight against Sasuke. There's no need to bullshit us," I stated with a neutral expression.

"Hey!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at me.

"That's were all the real betting money will be," I replied as I spared him a glance. "No offense."

"Right, you're the kid Raidō entrusted his betting pot to," the man in front of me noted with a soft chuckle.

"Exactly. And I have already placed my bets. It's a shame you can't bet on your own match though." I gave a small sigh. "Kami-sama knows I would have made a fortune."

"So who's going to win at the end?" Uzumaki-kun questioned eagerly.

I paused for a split-second before looking down at him seriously. "It depends on your definition of winning. Today won't turn out the way you expect it to."

His lips became pursed as his eyes displayed annoyance loud and clear. "Hey, what kind of answer is that?"

"An honest one," I replied as I looked away. My vision turned to the place where Hokage-sama and the so-called Kazekage sat side-by-side. I forced myself not to show any sigh that I knew about their plan.

Eventually, Hokage-sama stood up and walked a few steps towards the railing, his hands behind his back. "Thank you everyone for coming to the Konohagakure chûnin selection exam! We will now start the main tournament matches between the 10 participants who made it through the preliminaries. Please stay and watch until the end!"

"There's something I'd like to tell you before the matches," the man in front of us said as he turned around. He pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to us.

It was a bracket match where only one winner could continue on after each match. The first matches went as such: Uzumaki Naruto vs Hyuuga Neji, Suna no Gaara vs Uchiha Sasuke, Kankuro vs Aburame Shino, Temari vs Nara Shikamaru, and Dosu vs Haruno Ren. The first two winners of the previous matches would fight, along with the last two. The winner of the third match would then fight the winner of the second round's first match. Then, the remaining two winners would fight. Well, if things went as planned at the very least.

"There have been some minor changes to the tournament. Check once again to see who you're fighting against," the shinobi advised.

I gave a small hum before glancing over at Dosu. I then gave a small smirk while looking down at the ground. Little does he know that I've been given permission by Hokage-sama himself to go all-out whenever I feel like it.

Uzumaki-kun suddenly raised his left hand in the air and yelled, "Hey! Hey!"

"What?" The man asked, slightly annoyed with the rudeness.

The blonde dropped his arm down. "Sasuke isn't here yet. What're you gonna do?"

"If he doesn't appear by the time of his match, he will receive a default loss," the new proctor explained.

The blue-eyed idiot rubbed his chin while looking over at Gaara, his eyes narrowed slightly.

I internally sighed, but kept on a neutral expression nonetheless.

"Alright guys. This is the final test," the man with a senbon between his lips stated as if we didn't already know. "The arena is different, but the rules aren't the same as in the preliminaries - there are none. You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. But if I determine that the fight is over, I'll step in and stop it. You got it?"

Like the assholes we all were, we didn't verbally answer.

"Now, the first fight... Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji. These two stay here while the rest of you go to the waiting room," he said while motioning towards the doorway we had to take.

"Question," I stated, earning the brunette's attention. "What's your name?"

"Call me Genma," he replied before waving us off.

I gave a small hum before leaning in close to Uzumaki-kun. "Don't be afraid to use the kyūbi's power early on. There's an abundance of it, so I know you can use it for a long while."

He nodded as determination filled his blue eyes. His hands clenched into fists as he glared at Neji. Uzumaki-kun was ready to win and fight against his so-called fate.

I patted the shoulder of his ugly-ass jumper before turning heel. I silently walked to the waiting room, which was actually a room that allowed us to view the arena about halfway up one of the walls. I stood next to the railing for a moment before giving a deep, annoyed sigh. "Ugh, the winner is already written all over these walls."

Shikamaru-san gave a small snort. "That's right. No matter how much Naruto trained, he can't beat someone like that guy."

I looked over at the Nara with a raised brow. "Uh, I don't know what kind of drugs you're on, but clearly Uzumaki-kun is going to beat Neji. I'm willing to bet everyone's lives on that."

"No way. Your betting senses are off," the laid-back individual said with disbelief all over his face.

"Bitch, my betting senses have never been better," I stated while waving the peasant off. "Use your Nara brains or something."

He released an annoyed noise before looking down at the two. "Let me guess, he's going to will-power his way through this."

"Actually..." I replied while looking at him with a shit-eating grin. "He's going to actually use his brain."

A brow raised up high as the Nara looked over at me with a face that could only be summarized in one word: seriously?

"I shit you not," I replied before slapping my hands together. "Anyway, this is going to be a long and boring fight, so I'm going to hit up the food stands."

"Eh? Boring how?" The boy with an abnormally high IQ inquired.

"Lots of talk about destiny and birds and other boring bullshit. Everything important will happen within the last five minutes if the fight, so I'll be sure to be back by then." I gave a deep sigh as I rubbed the back of my neck, my other hand waving lazily as I walked off.

"What a pain..." Shikamaru-san grumbled as I took my leave.

I decided to take stroll down to where the betting pots were being held. "Any last minute add-ins?"

"A bunch," Mozuku-san replied as light glinted off of his glasses, hiding them away from sight.

"You know, you're going to have to give a bunch of that back," I said while giving him a raised brow.

The man nodded, already knowing about the shitstorm that was going to go down. "Yes, but the remaining of this is still going to be in our favor."

"Well, as long as I still get my share of the winnings, I'll be fine," I said with a sly grin.

"Of course. After all, you're the Betting King," the man replied with a smirk.

I chuckled at the nickname that every better had heard at least once before. "Careful, or else people will know who I am."

"Ah, right. It'd be a disaster if Konoha's secret weapon was revealed," the member of the Torture and Interrogation Force noted.

"Economically more so than anything else," I pointed out before taking a seat on the table. "So where has Tobitake-san run off to?"

"You know how Shimon is," the man replied while waving me off.

"Yeah..." I agreed before looking over at Mozuku-san. "Hey, how come Ibiki didn't know who I was? I thought everyone in TI was involved in the betting pots in one way or another."

"Well you two have never really talked face-to-face face before," he pointed out, "And everyone always refers to you by your nickname anyway."

"Ah, true," I agreed before leaning over to see what numbers he had down. I snickered at how many people expected me to lose. "Ah, I'm going to win my match in less than a minute, yet all of those fools have bid against me."

"I heard that Tenzō had his arm twisted by Kakashi and taught you," Mozuku-san stated as he glanced at me curiously.

"You heard right," I said as I looked over the other numbers on the tally sheet. I then pointed to Uzumaki-kun's side and asked, "Who the hell voted for him?"

"Hm... Some guy who called himself Ero-sensei," the torture and interrogation expert replied with a small shrug.

I stared blankly before slamming my hands down onto the table. "Damnit! When the fuck did Jiraiya-sama get here?!"

"Jiraiya?" The man repeated questioningly before his eyes widened. He looked back down at the sheet before cursing his stupidity.

At that moment, Tobitake-san and Hijiri-san came back into the betting room.

"Fucking Jiraiya-sama is here! Someone needs to find him and get his ass in on the plan STAT!" I yelled at the two, causing them to pause for a split-second.

"Doesn't he already know?" Hijiri-san asked as he turned his head towards Tobitake-san, a shadow over his eyes as usual.

The man with bandages covering his eyes with his Konoha hitai-ate over his bandages gave a nod. "Morino-san said so."

"Why the fuck wasn't I told?!" I exclaimed as I threw my arms into the air.

"Probably because you won't be fighting alongside him," Hijiri-san replied bluntly.

My arms dropped down as an annoyed expression covered my face. "Well I'm sorry for being concerned about the plan. It's only the lives of hundreds of thousands of people at stake."

"It's not that much," Tobitake-san said as he turned his head towards the door by a fraction of a degree.

"Puh-lease. All of this betting money could feed all of the people in Konoha if it's used properly," I debated with a roll of my eyes.

"You're too young to bet, so it doesn't really concern you. Get lost, kid," Mozuku-san demanded while motioning for me to go.

"No way-" I was picked up and shoved out of the room by Tobitake-san. I turned around to object, only to get the door slammed in my face. I then turned my gaze to the two men who had stopped right before they could bump into me. "Do I look too young to bet?"

The men exchanged glanced before nodding.

I gave an annoyed click of my tongue before stomping off like some spoiled brat. I inwardly patted myself on the back for my award-winning performance. I then decided to actually go down to where food was being sold. I swept in to order myself a second breakfast and ate it with no rush at all. I then took a leisurely stroll back to the area I was supposed to wait in.

I took one look over the balcony before falling to my knees. They're still fucking going?! How fucking long is this goddamn thing going to take?! Fuuucking fuck! I flopped over onto my side with an annoyed groan. "I'm going to die an eternal virgin at this rate!"

"This is taking a long time," Shikamaru-san agreed with a bored expression.

"Want to go vandalize some stuff?" I asked as I lifted my head up off of the ground.

"That's even more troublesome..." The Nara grumbled, not at all sparing me a glance.

I gave a deep sigh before standing up. "You're all fucking losers." I then brought my foot up onto the railing and looked down at my teammate. "Oi, Uzumaki-kun!"

The blonde glanced back at me.

I grinned before putting my hand on my stomach, right where a seal would have been if I was Uzumaki-kun.

His blue eyes widened before he gave a nod. He turned his focus back to his opponent before getting into a position to call forth his chakra.

"What did you do now?" The boy with an intelligence that rivalled my own questioned as his face scrunched up. Clearly the word "troublesome" was bouncing all around his brain as he watched Uzumaki-kun do his best to summon forth his special chakra.

I gave a laugh as I brought my foot down. "Me? I ensured my teammate's victory." I chuckled darkly as the joints in my left hand moved about, causing bones to make cracking sounds while rubbing against other bones. "Do you see that power? Can you imagine how amazing that'd be...?" I held my hands to my cheeks as a blush overtook them. "Just imagining the beating I'd get makes me absolutely ecstatic."

"You should probably tone that down," Shikamaru-san advised.

"I've had to keep my masochism under wraps for the past month because it made my sensei uncomfortable..." I glared over at the Nara before declaring, "Today is the day of ultimate masochism!"

His expression never changed as he looked at me. "Well could you at least take your masochist excitement elsewhere. It'll get awkward if you get too excited."

I snorted at the boy before looking away. "Funny you should mention that... I don't think the idiot down there ever got the talk."

"He has to know by now," the black-eyed boy argued.

"Thinking about it logically, he has no parents to tell him, and it's not like Iruka-sensei would ever be comfortable enough to tell him. I mean, sure he knows about perverts and such, but I seriously doubt he knows more that what's at the surface level," I explained, causing him to hum softly before just giving an annoyed sigh.

"I'm not explaining it," the boy finally stated.

I grinned deviously as I began to rub my hands together. "Perfect."

"I don't think you should do it either. Kami-sama knows you'd scar him for life," the Nara jabbed, causing a non-existent arrow to slam straight through my heart.

"Come on. I'm not that bad," I said as I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes.

His black eyes glanced over at me as his face gushed out unamusement.

"Oh, fuck off," I demanded as I crossed my arms. I then turned my attention down towards the arena as a loud explosion echoed out. I whistled at the large smoke cloud that covered both Neji and Uzumaki-kun.

Two craters were revealed as the smoke began to clear a bit, but most people were unable to tell who was who.

A pale hand suddenly reached up and grasped the side of the crater, causing me to release a distasteful click of my tongue. Neji slowly pulled his body up while coughing and rubbing the side of his mouth.

"Looks like you were wrong," Shikamaru-san stated with a small smirk as he watched Neji walk shakily towards the crater that had an "unconscious" Uzumaki-kun lying in it.

I chuckled darkly as shivers went down my spine. My hands clutched the railing as my sadism seemed to spike up. My back arched out slightly while my chuckles grew louder. "It's a good thing we didn't bet, Shikamaru-san."

Uzumaki-kun suddenly came from the earth below Neji. He swung his fist up, hitting Neji's jaw without any restrictions.

Said Hyuuga spit out blood at the force of the punch before flopping onto the ground pathetically.

"Ah, it's a shame I couldn't be the one fighting. To get Neji chipped down to that state would be amazing. I wonder if I could have broken his pride down to nothing beforehand." I released another fit of sadistic giggles before getting myself under control.

"Aren't you supposed to be a masochist?" The Nara asked while looking at me with slight worry.

"The air is pretty electrified. It's hard to not get into the swing of things," I replied with a blank expression, my hand waving him off lazily. I leaned my upper body against the railing and sighed softly upon feeling pain in my chest. It's been a month, but it still hasn't healed. Kakashi-sensei is going to be furious at me once he finds out I intend on getting myself even more fucked up.

Uzumaki-kun walked over to Neji as his hands bled from digging his tunnel to victory. His kage bunshin disappeared, showing the hole he had began to dig right after landing.

"Ugh... To quickly use a kage bunshin in that situation... Your main ninjutsu, eh? How careless of me..." The powerful Hyuuga commented as he looked up at his opponent.

"I... I failed the academy graduation exam 3 times..." My teammate explained as he looked down at the boy he had just beaten. "That's because, unluckily for me, the ninjutsu test on the final exam was always decided as... Always decided as my weakest ninjutsu... The bunshin no jutsu... was my worst ninjutsu..."

Neji looked shocked at the declaration.

"Destiny can't be changed, blah blah. Stop whining about stupid crap like that..." Uzumaki-kun demanded before a bird took flight into the sky. "Since... You're not a loser like me."

Genma-san smirked and gave a single laugh before announcing, "Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Fuck yes!" I cheered as I pounded my hands together eagerly.

"Oi, keep it down," the boy with an IQ over 200 demanded.

"Shut it," I demanded simply while sparing him a single glare. I then continued to cheer for my teammate that was finally gaining some recognition.

The little blonde idiot threw up a peace sign before prancing around the arena, practically showering himself in the praise yelled out by the audience. He even had the audacity to start throwing out kisses.

I snorted before teleporting down to the doorway we were to use. "Oi! Kiss-ass! Get over here!"

He looked over at me with the expression a child makes when they're told to go to bed. "But Haruno-kun-"

"Do you remember whose match is next?" I asked seriously, causing him to straighten up.

"Is he here?" He asked as his blue eyes stared deeply into my amber ones.

"No," I answered honestly, causing him to frown and look around. "He won't be disqualified. They'll move on and wait for him."

His shoulders slumped down a bit before he walked over to me. The whiskered boy was practically dragging himself over to me.

I gave a sigh as I decided to meet him halfway. "Go get yourself checked out by the medical ninjas. You won't miss anything but boredom."

"Are you sure?" The blonde asked while eyeing me suspiciously.

"Positive," I assured him while patting his head.

Uzumaki-kun gave a huff as a small blush sat on his cheeks. His blue eyes looked away from me before he decided to follow my orders.

I watched him walk over with a hand on my hip. Little idiot had the nerve to blush at me and then walk away with a grumpy expression. Kami-sama help me if Sakura somehow managed to see that from her spot in the crowd. I chuckled softly before returning to the waiting room. I sat on the railing and swung my legs back and forth without a care in the world.

The host of the kyūbi soon came back up still dirtied, but with healed wounds. He leaned against the railing next to me with annoyed expression, his eyes trained down at the arena.

The crowd around the arena was getting impatient, desperately waiting for the next match to start. They were yelling angrily, demanding answers loudly.

"What the heck is that guy doing? Is he planning not to come?" The boy with a fishnet shirt questioned, slightly annoyed with all the "troublesome" occurrences happening around him.

"Confucious said, "The wise do not approach the dangerous." A wise decision, perhaps?" The member of the Aburame clan inferred.

I made an annoyed face before pointing at the boy who always had his eyes hidden away by his tinted glasses. "Oi, Shino-san, don't go insulting my team! Hiding like a coward is pathetic, and my team isn't pathetic."

"Haruno-kun is right. He's definitely going to come!" Uzumaki-kun declared before he and Gaara glared at each other.

"Ugh, why haven't the ANBU found him and drag him here by now? How slow could they possibly move?" I grumbled as I stared down at the arena.

The blonde next to me didn't answer for a moment. His blue eyes suddenly widened as realization lit up his face. He turned his head to me before exclaiming, "You can find Sasuke!"

"Huh? Me?" I asked while pointing at myself.

"Yeah! With your weird teleporty jutsu!" The idiot yelled as he pointed at me.

"Ah, that..." I gave a simple nod before sitting criss-cross, my weight perfectly balanced as I sat on the railing. I closed my eyes and blocked everything out as I began to summon forth my chakra. I carefully picked through all of the chakra seals I had placed over the last month before finding the one I desired. My eyes shot open as I managed to transport myself over that large distance.

Uchiha rushed past as if he didn't notice me. The little fucker was performing Kakashi-sensei's chidori as if he wasn't late to the goddamn chunin finals.

A kunai was suddenly placed at my throat before a man growled out, "Who are you, and why are you here?"

I chuckled before turning my head slightly. "Now you can't say it was instincts, Kakashi-sensei~."

"R-Ren!" The jônin explained before withdrawing his kunai from my neck. He spun me around so I could look him in the eyes. "What are you doing here?"

I gave a sarcastic hum as I brushed his hands away. I looked up towards the sky before asking, "Oh, yes. For what reason could I possibly be here? It certainly can't be for the Duckass that is so late, a riot is about to start at the arena. It most certainly can't be because my sensei is too busy to bother with alerting the ANBU about his whereabouts. It certainly can't be because I'm worried about my teammate and sensei either."

His black eye showed his unamusement, but he should have thought about that before.

I smacked his chest as hard as I could before yelling, "Bitch, why the fuck do you think I'm here?! How much longer is it going to take you?!"

"We'll be just a few more minutes," Kakashi-sensei assured me before the Duckass released his clan-famous 'hn'.

I gave a dramatic sigh before transforming myself to look like an average Konoha shinobi. I then used the hiraishin jutsu to teleport myself to an area just outside of everyone's sight.

Raidō-san felt my presence and shunshined over to me. His eyes narrowed as I motioned him over with a finger on my lips. The scarred man did so anyway despite some obvious mistrust.

I leaned in close before whispering, "Hatake Kakashi has requested 45 more minutes before bringing Uchiha Sasuke."

The brunette released a soft noise that was filled to the brim with annoyance. "There's no way we can provide that."

I paused for a split-second before an idea came to mind. "What if we were to change up the schedule? If we bypass his match, the other three matches should provide enough time for them both to arrive. We do need their skills."

Raidō-san remained silent for a moment before making a hand motion that signalled for me to wait there. He quickly moved to where Hokage-sama and the "Kazekage" were waiting.

Just before anyone else could say anything, the "leader" of Sunagakure released a small sigh. "Hokage-dono, please wait a little while longer before making a decision. The majority of the shinobi leaders and lords, myself included, are here mainly because we wanted to see this next match. He is, after all, a member of the Uchiha Clan... And we, as Kaze no Kuni, would also request that our Gaara be given the opportunity to fight him."

A silence filled the air as everyone's suspicions were confirmed by the actions of the so-called Kazekage.

Raidou-san whispered my suggestion softly into Hokage-sama's ear, allowing the man to come to a firm conclusion.

"Very well, we will make an exception and have the match later on," the member of the Sarutobi clan decided. "Inform the examiner."

"Yes sir," Raidō-san agreed before shunshining down to Genma-san.

I also departed, but headed back to the waiting room. "Kakashi-sensei has decided that he's going to take the long way back to Konoha with Duckass."

"What?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled angrily while Temari and Kankuro seemed relieved.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Genma-san yelled, gaining everyone's attention. "The contestant for the next match hasn't arrived yet! Therefore, we will push this match back and begin the next one!"

"Hey, this means my match just got one closer!" Shikamaru-san yelled out, totally annoyed at the sudden turn of events. He wanted to remain as lazy as possible after all.

"And now, the next match!" Genma-san announced, "Kankuro and Aburame Shino! Come down!"

"Shoot..." Kankuro cursed softly before glancing over at his sister.

They communicated through their eyes before Kankuro yelled down, "I forfeit!"

"Haha! Your match is this one!" I exclaimed as I pointed at Shikamaru-san with a large, shit-eating smirk.

Temari clicked her tongue in annoyance before pulling her fan off of her back. She opened it up all the way, revealing the three circles that were already present. She waved the fan, creating a wave of air. She then jumped onto her fan and rode the wind down to the arena floor.

I snickered at her eagerness before poking Shikamaru-san's face. "You could always quit yourself if it gets too troublesome."

Uzumaki-kun wasn't having any of that though and shoved Shikamaru-san over the railing. "Alright, Shikamaru! Go for it!"

"Bitch, are you insane?!" I screeched as the Nara went plummeting down towards the ground. "From this height and that velocity...!"

The Nara summoned chakra to his feet and used that to show down his rate of falling, but still crashed into the ground pretty hard. And then, the black-eyed boy just laid there with an expression that clearly read: 'I don't want to be here'.

"He's totally going to quit," I said with a grin.

"No way! Shikamaru! Good luck!" The blonde next to me yelled down at his friend.

"He has no motivation, and he doesn't like fighting girls. He's totally going to give up at the end," I pointed out with a small snicker before taking my spot back on the railing. "I bet he'll be right on the edge of winning and then give up because it's too troublesome."

"He better not!" The blue-eyed boy yelled, clearly upset with how things were turning out.

"Relax, relax. Don't forget my match is after this one," I said while motioning for the little idiot to calm down.

"You're not going to quit either, are you?" The kyūbi host interrogated with suspicion clear in his voice.

"I've been training hard for the past month. Why the fuck would I waste all of that time and forfeit?" I asked blankly, internally wishing he'd actually use his brain more.

"Just making sure," Uzumaki-kun replied before looking back down at the arena.

Temari suddenly charged for Shikamaru with her fan closed. "If you won't come, I will!"

"Hey! I didn't start the match yet!" Genma-san yelled at the girl.

Just before Temari could strike the Nara with her fan, the boy shoved two kunais into the wall and hopped up on them. As the smoke cleared, the boy declared, "Ya know, I really don't want to fight, and I don't care whether I become a chûnin or not, but I'm not going to lose to a girl!"

I chuckled as I closed my eyes. "This will surely be an entertaining match."


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two

"Ya know, I really don't want to fight, and I don't care whether I become a chûnin or not, but I'm not going to lose to a girl!" Shikamaru-san declared, earning a smirk from his enemy.

She quickly spun her fan around, causing a large burst of thick smoke and dust to fill the area. Her eyes shot after Shikamaru-san's movements before settling on the trees the Nara was hiding behind.

"Oh my, it seems she's also quite intellectual. Shikamaru-san is definitely going to give up at the end of this fight, the lazy bastard," I joked as I looked down at the arena.

The girl brought her fan in front of her and looked over at the area of the shadows the boy was hiding in with the utmost seriousness.

Meanwhile, the boy with a loop earrings stared up at the sky with a bored expression. He probably just wanted to watch the clouds instead of fighting such a troublesome match. His black eyes drifted down to the hole the blonde idiot next to me made, and then he smirked. He had a plan in the making that would surely succeed, especially considering his genius IQ levels.

Temari suddenly waved her fan, causing her special three-star which were actually three circles wind attack.

The winds made by the fan managed to cut through the trees themselves, but they also made a rather large cloud of dust that helped Shikamaru-san pull off his next move easily.

The Nara had sent his shadow towards his opponent and caused Temari to quickly jump back several times. Unfortunately, Shikamaru-san could only send his shadow out so far, and stopped before it could reach her.

The Suna girl noticed that fact and made a line in the dirt with her fan whilst kneeling down. "Ah... I see. I've seen through your kagemane jutsu!"

The boy gave a huff as he leaned against the wall, cuts evident all over his body from the blonde's previous attack. He was huffing a bit as his hands began to slowly pull apart.

"Looks like there's a limit to how much you can stretch, shrink, and change the shape of your shadow, isn't there?" The blue-eyed girl asked with a smirk. "No matter how much you change and stretch the shape of your shadow, you still can't stretch it any further than the surface area of your normal shadow... Right?"

The black-haired boy gave a smirk and a small chuckle before agreeing. "That's right..."

The girl's face remained neutral as she began making the proper assumptions about Shikamaru-san's abilities, including his ability to use other shadows to lengthen the distance in which his shadow could spread. She then slammed her closed fan into the line she made and calculated the distance between herself and Shikamaru-san - 15 meters and 32 centimeters. That Suna girl sure was smart when it came to battle strategies.

The member of the Konoha rookies glanced up at the clouds in the sky before letting his gaze drift down to his opponent. He then closed his black eyes and made a hand sign - a circle with his thumbs at the top and the rest of his fingers on the bottom. Shikamaru-san was making a strategy that would allowing him victory... So long as he chose not to quit, at least.

"What's he doing?" Uzumaki-kun asked eagerly as he stared down at the lazy individual.

"That's for him to show," I replied with a smirk as I watched the boy's black eyes shoot open.

Shikamaru-san's left hand reached back into his shinobi pouch, displaying that he was finally ready to initiate his plan.

"Watch the shadows," I instructed the blonde as the Suna girl opened her fan.

"Looks like you're finally going to get serious!" Temari yelled before performing her powerful wind jutsu once again.

Shikamaru-san pulled a kunai from his back pouch before darting to his right where he could get coverage from the harsh, chakra-infused winds.

"There's no use hiding!" The sandy-blonde yelled at the Konoha shinobi. Once Shikamaru-san didn't come out, she demanded, "How long are you going to keep running away?! Give up already!" She blew another powerful gust of wind with her fan, creating yet another cloud of dust.

I gently nudged my teammate before my eyes flickered to the small jacket that was floating into the air with a kunai tied to it.

His blue eyes widened in surprise before he gave a small gasp. He looked over at me for confirmation, causing me to smirk and nod once in approval.

The Nara threw a kunai out of the cloud before performing his clan-famous jutsu once again.

Temari opened her fan up and deflected the kunai before she noticed the shadow coming after her. She originally didn't look afraid of it, but her eyes quickly widened once she saw the shadow cross her line. The blue-eyed girl hopped back once and managed to get out of the reach of the shadow.

"Very good. You saw through that," Shikamaru-san approved to get her attention off of his other plan.

"I see. You were whittling away the time, waiting for the sun to drop lower so the shadows of the wall and yourself would grow larger," Temari inferred, rather incorrectly. "The closer the sunset, the longer the shadows grow..."

"Hey, Haruno-kun, how can Shikamaru use his shadow when he's in the arena's shadow?" Uzumaki-kun asked with a small tilt of his head.

"As long as there's light, there will be a shadow even within a shadow. Besides, he can use the arena's shadow towards his advantage and use it to extend his own shadow. It's a technique commonly used by his clan to save energy and chakra since they're all lazy like Shikamaru-san," I explained as bluntly as possible for the team idiot to understand.

"That's so not cool," the blonde said with pursed lips.

"Cool or not, you really helped him out this time around," I said while patting the disgustingly-colored jumpsuit the kyūbi host always wore.

He blinked once before his face scrunched up in confusion. "Eh?"

"Temari! From above!" Puppet Bitch suddenly shouted to his sister upon noticing Shikamaru-san's jacket parachute.

Temari looked up, and her eyes widened at the sight of the jacket being weighed down by the kunai. Her eyes then looked down at the shadow that was beginning to appear between her and Shikamaru-san's shadow. Her face displayed horror before she jumped back, the shadow extending out towards her by using the shadow of his jacket parachute. The sandy-blonde was chased towards the other side of the hole Uzumaki-kun dug earlier, not at all realizing she was falling a victim to the true plan of her opponent.

"You won't escape!" Shikamaru-san yelled to divert the girl's attention from the hole right behind her.

Temari fled back towards where her opponent wanted her to go before smirking. She had figured out that Shikamaru-san couldn't change the shape of the parachute's shadow. The girl from Suna finally stopped fleeing and instead stood up. She opened up her fan all the way with a confident smirk.

"To be able to dodge even that attack..." The boy with earrings muttered as he continued to draw his opponent's attention away from the obvious trap.

The blonde girl glanced up towards the sun before looking down at her enemy. She then slammed her fan down in front of herself and crouched down, allowing for Shikamaru-san to move his shadow without the fear of her finding out. She put her hands together in the sign of the snake, clearly ready to make a bunshin to divide the Konoha genin's attention. However, she was too late.

Shikamaru-san's shadow had made it through the tunnel Uzumaki-kun made and latched onto Temari's shadow.

I chuckled as Temari was forced to move her hands apart. "Success~."

"What happened?" Kankurō asked, causing me to snicker while looking over at Uzumaki-kun.

I pointed down towards the hole closer to Shikamaru-san and said, "I told you you helped him out."

"He's used my tunnel to make his shadow touch hers?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed in shock, causing the others to look closely at the arena floor.

I nodded in approval. "Exactly. He's been planning this from the beginning, waiting for the opportune moment to use that towards his advantage. He knew he couldn't catch Temari off guard with a frontal attack, no matter what he tried, so he caused her to retreat towards the hole that would lead to his victory." I gave another chuckle as I jumped up onto the railing and sat on it once again. "Checkmate."

"There's no way Shikamaru could give up now!" The blue-eyed boy next to me exclaimed as he stared down at the two opponents that were walking towards each other of Shikamaru-san's accord. "Yeah! Go for it!"

I turned my head away and snickered as the Nara raised his hand into the air.

He remained silent for a moment before opening his eyes. "That's it... I give up."

I burst out laughing and pointed at Uzumaki-kun. "I told you! Shikamaru-san's too lazy to continue! Haha! You see your face! Never doubt my betting skills, idiot!"

"Wh... What?!" Temari yelled at the boy standing about a meter in front of her.

"I give up," Shikamaru-san repeated before going into an explanation. "The continuous use of the kagemane no jutsu has used up all of my chakra. I can barely bind you for ten more seconds. I had thought up about 200 more moves, but... It looks like I'm out of time. I'm getting tired of this... One match is enough for me."

Genma-san gave a smirk before announcing, "Winner, Temari!"

Shikamaru-san released his jutsu and rubbed the left side of his neck with his right hand. "Man... I'm tired."

"Why did he give up?! Is he an idiot?!" My teammate yelled as he climbed over the railing before jumping down to the arena floor.

"Lectures are tricky things... If you don't want to anger the other party," Shino-san stated.

"Shikamaru-san can make my teammate forget all about that," I replied as I waved the Aburame off.

The blonde landed before pointing over at the Nara. "Idiot!"

"Shut up, you super idiot!" The black-haired future chunin demanded.

The boy with whisker-like marks on his cheeks wasn't having any of that and ran over. "Why did you give up?!"

"Forget about that already... Let's just enjoy the next match," Shikamaru-san compromised.

I gave a dark chuckle as I stood up on the railing. I looked over my shoulder at Dosu and asked darkly, "So... Are you ready for our rematch?"

The Otogakure bastard narrowed his single visible eye at me before clenching his left hand into a fist. Oh, he was definitely ready.

"Good. I'm fully stored up on chakra this time, and I didn't have to deal with your shitty boss before getting here, so this time..." I chuckled as my adrenaline began to pump all around my body. "I won't be fighting with five percent of my true strength." I then stepped off of the railing and began to fall quickly towards the ground. Just before I could break my legs, I teleported to the spot I had originally stood in before we were told to go up to the waiting room.

"Next match, Haruno Ren versus Dosu!" Genma-san yelled before looking up towards the waiting room. He saw that Dosu was on his way and nodded in approval.

I put on an emotionless expression as I began to internally mix my chakra together. I was going to finish my match in less than a minute, and there was nothing Dosu could possibly do to stop it.

The otonin took a few long moments to finally get to his spot on the proctor's left. It was as if he really didn't want to do the match, but didn't want to lose at the same time. His conflictions would definitely be the key to my victory.

"Are you both ready?" Genma-san questioned as he looked between us.

"Yes sir," I answered with a dead tone.

Does simply nodded in reply, causing me to internally smirk.

The brunette nodded in approval before yelling, "Start!"

I immediately dropped down to one knee as I made several handsigns within a second. I remained emotionless as Dosu lunged for me while pulling back his right sleeve. My eyes, however, displayed nothing but sadistic joy as several rectangular prisms of wood came sprouting from the ground and quickly headed for Dosu.

"That's impossible!" The otonin shouted as he quickly backtracked.

"You lose," I stated as a large net-like structure appeared from the ground behind Dosu and began to trap him in a cage.

The prisms that were originally going for the boy quickly wrapped around his arms. The two that were wrapping around his right arm quickly shrunk themselves down and got between the device and his skin. They then grew in size while turning into spikes, breaking the device to pieces in less than a second's time. The single prism that wrapped around his left arm also shrunk itself down before extending his left arm out, sticking it out of the holes in the cage that were getting smaller by the second. It then spread his fingers out so he couldn't make any handsigns. The ones on his right arm did the same, making it do he couldn't use any jutsus at all, even if he could make one-handed signs.

The cage finally stopped shrinking down once Dosu was forced into a ball of defeat. The wood remained sturdy as I pulled my hands apart and stood up.

Dosu's single black eye stared up at me and shook slightly from my ability to beat him in such a calculated manner so quickly. "How...?"

"No matter how much you trained, you're still a shinobi from Otogakure. You would have trained with that device, making it the thing that I knew I had to destroy in order to secure victory. Besides that, you could focus chakra and move sound waves around as you pleased from that thing, as displayed in the second exam, meaning I had to prevent you from making a handsign. I also knew that you would have moved back if I went for a front on approach, as is instinctual of all humans. Using that knowledge, I made a cage that would gladly trap you from behind while you were too stunned with my kekkei genkai to notice." I chuckled darkly as I stared down emotionlessly at the boy who had caused mental harm to the people I cared about. "And to put the cherry on top, you had already committed a grave sin in my book."

"Sin?" He repeated questioningly.

"You and your team harmed my sister and hurt my precious senpai," I replied as I glared down, my chakra unleashing to form into a demon automatically. "And the Demon Hidden in the Leaves does not appreciate others trying to break what belongs to him."

Dosu clearly would have moved away from me in he had the ability to, but he just settles on flinching a bit. His black eye displayed his soul clearly as well as the realization that he had fucked up big time.

Genma-san gave a small chuckle before lifting his hand up in my direction. "Winner, Haruno Ren!"

With a single blink, my chakra stopped manifesting itself, and I had become emotionless yet again. I placed my hand onto the cage that had bound the boy and infused it with my earth chakra, causing it to break down into tiny little pieces of dirt. "Tell your boss that he's not going to like it if we ever meet again. I'll shove these prisms right up his fucking ass if he ever comes back."

The idiot narrowed his eye and allowed his lips to twitch up behind those bandages. His eye displayed how he fell into my verbal ruse, causing me to internally pat myself on the back.

q

I then looked up at Gaara with narrowed eyes, slightly conveying that he was next.

The ginger bitch narrowed his own eyes down at me, ready for a fight.

In all actuality, we were both ready for that fight the previous day...

~

I sat besides Lee-senpai, who was sleeping away without a care in the world. I felt sorrow fill up my veins even more as he shifted in his sleep, only to make a pained expression. I should have learned medical ninjutsu...

The black-haired boy settled back down in his sleep, allowing for his face to ease up once more. He seemed dead to the world, though that was to be expected considering he had tried to exercise with his injuries as bad as they were.

I gave a small sigh before standing up. "I need to walk around for a minute. I'll be right back," I explained softly to the sleeping boy before taking my leave. I walked around the halls of the hospital slowly, just wandering aimlessly.

However, a certain chakra entered the range of Lee-senpai. That chakra belonged to a certain someone that was most definitely not allowed anywhere near my senpai, not after what he did.

I teleported to Lee-senpai and drew my tantō without hesitation. I was about to stab the ginger when his sand moved up to block the blade. I was a bit disappointed, but I did manage to put myself between my senpai and that Suna freak.

He looked at me in shock, his sea-foam green eyes displaying his bafflement at me interfering.

"I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you're not getting any closer," I growled as I began to put more pressure into my blade. "If you dare to touch so much as a hair on him, I won't hold anything back."

Gaara flinched a bit and held his head with his hands as if in pain. He took a step back, but bloodlust quickly became evident in his eyes. "I don't like you..."

"Well, you can jump up your own ass and die," I snarled as I got ready for a bloody battle.

His eyes drifted up and met my amber ones. He no longer seemed in pain as he straightened his body up, the sand coming towards me at a slow pace. He was ready for a fight at well.

I lunged towards him as I my emotions overtook my logical thinking. My right leg got caught up in the sand, but that didn't stop me from stabbing my blade forwards. I grit my teeth in rage as the sand managed to stop my blade. Said sand began to encase my body as Gaara's hand began to clench into a fist.

He stopped however about halfway through the motion. He looked shocked before a blur of yellow interfered, punching the ginger across the face.

Nearby, a yelp of pain echoed out.

"What are you doing here, you bastard?!" Uzumaki-kun yelled at Gaara.

"Hey... Naruto... While I'm using the kagemane jutsu, I move the same as him," Shikamaru-san explained.

"Sorry, Shikamaru," the blonde apologized as he moved to the black-haired boy's side. He glared at Gaara as the Suna bastard's sand armor began to crack and fall. "You... What are you up to?"

"One would think it's fairly obvious," I growled out as I still attempted to move. I just wanted to kill the freak and get this over with.

The sand mainly retreated to Gaara's gourd, but refused to let my tantō or the hand holding said tantō go. It was smart for an inanimate object.

"Hey! What were you trying to do to Thick-Brows and Haruno-kun?!" The blue-eyed idiot demanded to know.

"He was trying to kill him," I spat out furiously.

"And you, since you interfered," Gaara added in while glancing over at me. He was completely calm, so that was a tiny bit unnerving.

It surprised the two boys by the door, causing them to jolt away.

"What...?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed in surprise.

"Why is there a need to do that? You won the fight. Do you hold some personal grudge against him?" Shikamaru-san inquired with a serious expression. He clearly couldn't tell that Gaara was off his damn rocker.

"I do not," the ginger answered as he looked back at the two. "I'm going to kill him just because I want to kill him."

"The fuck you are!" I bellowed before the sand tightened around my grasp. I grit my teeth as my fury only seemed to spike up even more. I was going to chop that freak into tiny little bits and feed them to the fish!

"What the hell are you talking about, bastard?!" The blue-eyed boy yelled while pointing at the eyebrowless Suna bastard.

"You must have had a messed-up childhood. How self-centered can you be?" The member of the Nara clan questioned pensively. He was clearly thinking about how he could get out of the situation alive.

"If you get in my way... I'll kill you too," the green-eyed boy from across the desert threatened.

"What?! Go ahead and try!" Uzumaki-kun challenged while extending out a fist.

"Hey, Naruto, stop!" The black-eyed boy exclaimed worriedly before turning his focus back to the ginger. "We know from your fight with him that you're strong. But... We're not too bad ourselves either. And we didn't show our "special moves" in the prelims! Plus, it's 3 on 1. You're at the disadvantage. If you listen to what we say... We'll let you leave quietly."

I snickered at that, my eyes narrowing. "You, maybe, but not me."

"I'll say it again..." Gaara muttered. "Get in my way, and I'll kill you."

"I won't be killed by the likes of you!" The idiot yelled angrily.

"I told you to stop it! His strength is like a monster! Don't you understand that?!" Shikamaru-san yelled while holding the blonde back.

The boy with whisker-like marks of his cheeks grinned. "I have a real monster in me... I won't lose to the likes of him!"

So he knows about the kyūbi? If he can use its power, we definitely have the upper hand, I thought while glancing over at my teammate.

"A monster, eh...?" The shinobi from Suna questioned with closed eyes. "Then... It's the same for me." He opened his eyes, though his calm and collected nature seemed to have departed. "As you said, I had a messed-up childhood. I was born into this world by taking the life of the woman I would have called my mother to become the ultimate shinobi... With my father attaching the incarnation of the sand upon me through ninjutsu, I was born a monster."

Uzumaki-kun jolted in shock, but Shikamaru-san seemed to have better control of his body in terms of emotions.

"Called Shukaku, it was sealed within a kettle. It's the living spirit of an old Suna priest," Gaara explained, causing my brows to furrow.

No, that can't be right. A priest doesn't display that sort of bloodlust. Something else - something like the kyūbi - was sealed inside of you. However, if such things come through, the seal used to keep it inside of you is frail at best. It needs to be redone soon, or else you'll completely release it and its powers. I lowered my shoulders as I made plans to tell Hokage-sama of my intuition as soon at the freak was dealt with accordingly.

"A possession jutsu that allows one to be possessed before birth... To go that far... That's crazy," the Nara muttered with a nervous grin before regaining his confidence. "Heh... That's something a parent does? What a strange expression of love."

"Love?" The host of "Shukaku" questioned, clearly insulted. "...Don't judge me with your measuring stick... Family... You wanna know what kind of connection that is to me? It's simply pieces of meat connected to me with murderous intent and hatred."

My eyes narrowed even more before pity began to raise inside of me. If that's what you see your family as, you must not be able to read them at all. The Suna female, Temari, clearly wants you to rely on her more. Puppet Bitch is afraid of you, yes, but he still wants to be your big brother. Your judgement is so clouded you can't tell things like that. It'll come back to bite you in the ass someday, I can guarantee that much.

"By sacrificing my mother's life, I was created as the village's greatest masterpiece as the Kazekage's son. My father taught me shinobi secrets. I was spoiled and allowed to do as I pleased..." He closed his eyes for a second. "I thought that was love... Until that incident occurred."

I stared silently before jolting in surprise. "You hurt them..."

His green eyes turned and locked onto my face that surely displayed my realization.

I chuckled darkly as my face began to twist into a mixture of horror and excitement. "Now I know why I hate you so much. You remind me of myself back all those years ago - a sick little boy that allows their rage to get the better of them. I bet you hurt them- no- killed them, huh?"

His eyes narrowed sharply before the sand began to start trying to crush my hand.

I laughed darkly, realizing I hit the nail on the head. "You poor, poor child! What a pathetic little bug you are! When did it start, huh?! I'm sure I started earlier than you!" I gave another few chuckles as my chakra began to fluxuate outside of my body like it had several weeks ago.

His own murderous grin as he kept eye-contact with me. "For the last 6 years, from when I was six years old, my own father has tried countless times to assassinate me!"

"Huh?" Uzumaki-kun asked with wide blue eyes.

"Ha? But you just said your father spoiled you... What do you mean?" Shikamaru-san asked, not able to put all the pieces together like I had.

"A being too strong can become an existence of fear. It seems that by the time I was 6, it was determined that I was too dangerous. As the village's dangerous tool, I was only being used with care. To them, I am simply an object from the past that they wished would disappear," Gaara explained while calming himself down a bit, his gaze redirected back towards the two standing in between him and the doorway. "Then why do I exist? Why am I alive? When I thought about this, I could find no answer." His brow furrowed, causing his eyes to narrow as pain was barely detectable in them. "But as you live, you need a reason. Otherwise, it's the same as being dead."

"What's he... talking about?" Shikamaru-san questioned.

"When you seclude yourself, you can't rely on others to guide you along. You must do so yourself. In order for many people to walk along the path of life alone, they need a reason to live - a sort of validation of their mere existence," I explained while glancing over at the Nara who always had a family and friends to help him along.

"But that's..." He trailed off before his black eyes looked at Gaara worriedly.

Said red-head had his eyes closed. "I then came to this conclusion: "I exist to kill every human besides myself." I finally found relief within the fear of death, of never knowing when someone would try to assassinate me." He opened his eyes and smiled while looking towards the ground. "By continually killing the assassins, I understood the reason to continue living." He looked up at the two seriously, his smile dropping away as if it never existed. "Fighting for only yourself, living whole, loving only yourself. If you think that everyone else simply exists to allow you to experience that feeling, nothing is better than that world. As long as there are people in this world for me to kill and continue to feel that joy of living... My existence will not vanish."

I snickered at the Suna shinobi, gaining his attention. "So basically, poor little Gaara was alone without any kind of acknowledgement. Surrounded by solitude, he decided to live only for himself and gain strength that way." My grin dropped as I teleported backwards, my hand and tantō freeing themselves from the sand that had started to cause my hand to bleed. I slashed my blade to the side, getting rid of any small grains of sand that lingered. I gave the boy a disgusted look as I stared down at him. "How pathetic."

He grit his teeth as bloodlust became evident once again in his eyes.

"You honestly think that strength could beat out mine?" I asked as I sheathed my weapon. "Please, don't make me laugh. You're so worthless, I could beat you with nothing but a single, simple jutsu." I chuckled as I stared down at my opponent. "Hard work can beat out natural genius, but when you combine the two together..." I lifted both of my hands up, their palms facing towards the ceiling. "The results will be devistating for the opponent. And right now, you're the opponent."

His sand came dripping out of his gourd and began to raise up.

I grinned as I got ready to go all-out of that ginger bitch.

Gaara was clearly sharing my enthusiasm as he he glared at me. "Now... Let me feel it-"

"That's enough!"

I flinched a bit and looked in the direction of the man at the doorway. My fingers twitched, but I refrained from doing anything regarding my impulses.

"The finals are tomorrow. Don't get so antsy. Or do you want to stay here starting today?" Gai-sensei questioned, his gaze harsher than usual.

That Suna freak flinched and clutched his head whilst making a pained noise. His sand retreated into his gourd as he walked towards the doorway Gai-sensei had just entered. He stopped just before leaving, glaring over his shoulder as he did so. "I'll definitely kill you guys... Just wait..." And so, he finally left.

I shuttered from the anticipation, my eyes not leaving him until Gai-sensei stepped in my line of sight.

"Ren..." He said as a shadow covered his eyes.

"Wha-"

"You idiot!" He yelled while punching me across the face, sending me crashing into the ground.

I immediately sat up and held my cheek, not knowing what exactly I did wrong.

"I know you're upset about what happened to Lee, but this is not that way to go about it!" The man scolded as he stood with his hands on his hips.

I grit my teeth before standing up fully. "Upset? Do you really think that's how I feel? I'm just upset that my senpai had his dream ripped away in one of the worst ways possible? I'm just upset that that ginger freak is allowed to walk around without guilt for what he did?" I looked his dead in the eyes as my rage seemed to peak. "I'm beyond upset, and if you don't feel the same way, you have no right to be here."

The man that Lee-senpai looked up to took in a deep breath through his nose before pointing at the doorway. "Ren, leave now and get your hand healed. Don't make me make you, or else Hokage-sama will be hearing of this."

My hands twitched twice before dropping to my sides. "Right," I muttered as I began to walk out of the room, "I need to tell him that. It needs to be added. I can't let that big of a slip-up occur."

"H-Haruno-kun..." Uzumaki-kun stuttered out as he followed me into the hall.

I stopped and looked over my shoulder at him blankly. "Uzumaki Naruto, I need a favor."

He blinked his blue eyes in surprise, probably from me using his full name.

"Tomorrow, I need you to protect Sakura for me. Can you do that?" I questioned seriously.

The blonde looked confused, but nevertheless agreed. "Of course! But why?"

I turned away and began to walk once more. "I won't be able to protect her tomorrow. I trust you the most to protect her."

"Haruno-kun-"

I used the hiraishin jutsu to teleport to the window outside of Hokage-sama's office. I knocked on the glass and earned the old man's approval. I opened the window with ease and jumped in. "We have a problem with the plan- a big problem."

Hokage-sama sat up in his chair as I firmly closed the window. "What is that?"

I looked him dead in the eyes before stating, "Suna no Gaara is most definitely a jinchūriki."

~

I gave a soft sigh before using the hiraishin jutsu to relocate myself to the door just outside of the betting room. I entered and stated without a care in the world, "Your king has returned to collect his winnings before shit goes down."

"You can't collect anything until the exams are over," Mozuku-san objected as he stood in the middle of the sorting area.

"We both know that's not an actual rule, but a thing squares say so they won't lose their money," I replied with a roll of my eyes as I strolled over. "Besides, I want my shit accounted for before everything gets fucked up, and I lose my money to rubble."

"He is right about it not being an actual rule," Tobitake-san agreed, earning an annoyed expression from the man with glasses.

"Money," I demanded as I extended my hand out towards the TI member.

"Don't you have more important things to worry about?" Hijiri-san questioned.

"I have about ten or so minutes to burn. Let me collect my money so I can focus on my later work," I said, not bothering to spare a glance towards the man who always had a shadow over his eyes.

"Fine, but only because you're the Betting King," Mozuku-san finally relented before going over to a small pile of money. He grabbed it and came back before dumping it down in front of me.

"Why give me the trouble if you already had it sorted out for me?" I asked rhetorically as I pulled out my sealing scroll. I quickly sealed that money away along with my wallet to keep my precious supplies of betting fuel safe.

"It's chûnin exam betting pot policy," the man replied while pushing up his glasses.

I gave a sarcastic hum as I put my scroll into my back pouch. I didn't wait for a reply and instead teleported to my teammate. "Any sign of Duckass yet?"

"No!" Uzumaki-kun yelled angrily.

I gave a deep sigh before resting my hand over my eyes. "Yep. That's our sensei..." I shook my head with slight annoyance before my eyes turned over to the place reserved for my special senpai. "Ah, he's here after all!"

"Who-"

I quickly teleported over to Lee-senpai and smiled kindly before realizing that he had probably seen my match. Sorrow filled me to my core, so I bowed down at the waist. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"Eh?" The boy that had casts on half of his limbs questioned.

I stood up and began to fidget around with my hands nervously. "W-well, about my match, I really am sorry..."

"Y-you lost?" The black-eyed boy asked.

Gai-sensei looked both confused and mortified by the mere prospect.

"What? No, of course not," I replied before realizing that the two had probably missed my match. I internally groaned before just fessing up. "I didn't really know until a month ago- I mean- I knew, but not the full extent. I probably should have known before hand, but I-"

"Slow down. What are you talking about?" Gai-sensei asked while motioning for me not to explode into a sobbing mess.

"My kekkei genkai..." I mumbled as my head fell, my hands going into the snake handsign so I could make a baby sappling grow from my my right forearm. "I'm so sorry..." I was prepared for Lee-senpai to spew out words of hate and the like, but I instead got a punch to the face via Gai-sensei's fist.

"Idiot!" The man scolded as I rocketed up to the ceiling.

I managed to flip myself around and land on my feet. Of course, since I had been punched up to the ceiling, I had to quickly jump off so I wouldn't land on some poor civilian. I pushed myself from the concrete and back to the two that had remarkable similarities.

"Ren, just because you have a kekkei genkai doesn't mean we're going to like you any less," Gai-sensei said as he held his forehead. By the tone he had used, he clearly felt as though he was talking to a child that had some very idiotic logic.

"Yeah, exactly. Besides, why would I dislike you for having a kekkei genkai?" Lee-senpai inquired.

"Hard work is supposed to beat things like kekkei genkais, right?" I asked while keeping my gaze directed towards the ground.

"Idiot!" My senpai criticized while karate chopping my head. "You're still working hard, right? It still counts as beating natural genius."

I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. "R-really?"

"Of course!" Fire burst out of his black eyes as he clenched his one good hand into a fist. "And now that you can control your kekkei genkai, you can make yourself a literal springtime of youth!"

I released a gasp and staggered back a step at the revelation. My right hand gripped my chest as my left held my forehead. My body shook as I began to hunch over. I then quickly snapped my body up as my hands curled into fists that held themselves in front of my body. My springtime of youth had been given the ultimate fuel, and I was really to take on the entire fucking world if I had to. My springtime of youth was in full-throttle!

"There's the Ren we know!" Gai-sensei cheered as he looked at me with a large grin, Lee-senpai doing the same.

"Thank you very much for the support!" I gave a wide grin and brought my right thumb up so I could perform Gai's "good-guy" pose. Light reflected off of one of my teeth and made a bright shine. "I won't let you down."

Both Gai-sensei and Lee-senpai were moved to tears and decided to tackle me in a hug, earning a small string of curses as I flailed my arms about at the sudden human contact.

"You've grown up so much over the past year! I'm so proud of you!" Gai-sensei gushed, causing me to turn a blindingly embarrassed pink.

"Me too!" The miniature Gai-sensei added in, causing my blush to turn a tomato red.

I knew the only way to make them get off was to hug them back, so I did that quickly. Once they got off, I managed to calm myself down enough to look like a semi-normal human being. "Okay, so I'm going to find my idiotic sensei and get him here with my teammate."

Gai-sensei gave a serious nod of approval. "That would be best. He's lucky nothing has happened yet."

"Well..." I cracked my knuckles as I looked down at the arena. "His luck just ran out." I then teleported to where Duckass was and saw that he was in the middle of taking a fucking break. I gave a deep sigh of annoyance before asking, "Where's the dickhead?"

Uchiha glanced over at me before giving a half-assed shrug. "He said he needed to get something."

I scoffed loudly. "He's going to get my foot up his ass if he doesn't hurry up. You missed everyone else's match."

"Hn..." His obsidian eyes stared down at the ground in front of him before he looked up at me. "Who did Naruto face?"

"Hyūga Neji, the prodigy of the Hyūga clan," I answered, making his eyes narrow slightly.

"So he lost?" The almighty Uchiha Duckass inferred, making me roll my eyes.

"Of course not. He made a promise to beat Neji's ass, and that's what he did," I explained, earning another grunt. "Kankurō forfeited his match against Aburame Shino before Temari won the match against Nara Shikamaru. Fucking Shikamaru-san gave up right after leaving Temari with no chance of winning, the lazy bastard."

"What about your match?" The black-haired boy questioned sharply.

"I won in under a minute against Dosu," I replied nonchalantly before staring down at him with the utmost seriousness. "Has Kakashi-sensei told you yet about the plan?"

His brow furrowed as confusion shone in his black eyes. "Plan?"

I gave a sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Of course he didn't. I have to do everything for him."

"What plan are you talking about?" Uchiha asked as he finally began to stand up.

"The plan to-"

Kakashi-sensei cleared his throat as he finally returned. "He already knows his part."

I stared silently at the jônin before relenting. "Very well. All the other matches are done, so I suggest giving him a soldier pill to get his energy rejuvenated faster."

"How much more time can you give us?" The silverenette requested to know.

I glanced up at the sky before my eyes flicked back down to Kakashi-sensei. "Five minutes."

"That's all the time I'll need," the man who had 85% of his face covered stated.

I gave a sarcastic hum with my hands on my hips. "Sure you do. You said you only needed a few minutes the last time, and it's been forty-five minutes. They can only wait so long before they have to disqualify Duckass."

"Yes, I understand. Thank you for buying my this much time as it is," he patted my head once before motioning for me to take my leave.

I did so and rubbed my hands down my face as I appeared next to Uzumaki-kun. "Five more minutes."

"Actual five minutes, or Kakashi-sensei five minutes?" The blonde questioned.

"Actual five minutes," I answered as I rested my arms on the railing. I then put my head on my arms and groaned. "The fucking moron couldn't be punctual even if his life depended on it, and now Duckass is also going to be a late piece of shit from now on. This is ri-goddamn-diculous."

"What are they even doing?" The blue-eyed boy inquired.

"Fucking lounging about like goddamn assholes," I replied bitterly.

"I can understand that coming from Kakashi-sensei, but Sasuke?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed with great annoyance.

"What else do you expect?" I asked rhetorically. "They've spent the past month together in the middle of bumfuck nowhere with no other people around. They were bound to rub off on each other, but apparently Kakashi-sensei won out in the end." I gave a huge sigh. "That man is going to kill someone with his tardiness one day."

The kyūbi host solemnly nodded besides me, agreeing with that last statement.

I lifted my head up a bit as I dropped my arms down. I then began to bang my head against the railing while muttered incoherently about getting my revenge one day via Plan Fuckface Mizuki.

Just as Shikamaru-san was going to comment on how troublesome I was being, a swirl of leaves appeared in the middle arena.

Uzumaki-kun's eyes widened, Shikamaru-san gave a look of slight surprise mixed with confusion, and Genma-san gave a small smirk.

The leaves slowly began to fall down to the ground, revealing the two who were standing back to back. They made a cool entrance, which would have been cooler if they weren't over an hour late or wearing a romper.

Kakashi-sensei gave a closed-eye smile and said, "Sorry we're late."

"Bullshit," I muttered with a fierce glare.

"Your name?" Genma-san asked as his smirk widened, his eyes directed down towards Duckass.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Duckass replied with a serious expression.

I teleported down and looked up at Kakashi-sensei with my hands on my hips. "You took six minutes and thirty-seven seconds, not five. You're lucky you didn't get Sasuke disqualified." I narrowed my eyes before asking, "How irresponsible can you get?"

The man waved me off and muttered, "Yes, yes Okaa-san."

Did this bitch just...? I gave a sickly-sweet smile before my hand snapped up. I grabbed the man's left ear and said, "If you want me to act like a mother, I will, delinquent." I then proceeded to turn heel and drag him behind.

"O-ow! You're going to pull my ear off! Please! Ren! Stop!" Kakashi-sensei complained as he quickly walked next to me while crouching down to keep his ear and the tissue connected from feeling more pain.

"Maybe you should learn the meaning of punctual then," I scolded as I continued walking towards the door that would lead to the viewing stands. "You should realize at your age that your bad actions result in consequences! You can't be late if you drag others down with you! Just because you want lounge around and read porn all day, doesn't mean you can! You have real-world responsibilities to take care of first!"

"It's not porn!" He exclaimed as the heat basically radiated off of his face in a firey embarrassment.

"Icha Icha Paradise is a fucking porn novel written by Jiraiya-sama, and everyone fucking knows it." I then jerked on his ears and hissed, "And don't you dare back-talk me again, delinquent."

"I-"

"Silence! You're in the dog-house!" I yelled at the man while shooting him a glare that made him shut up in record timing.

~

Kotetsu and Izumo (who were totally on a date while watching the finals for the chunin exams) burst out laughing upon seeing Ren drag Kakashi along by the older man's ear.

"He totally pissed Ren off!" Kotetsu exclaimed while holding his gut and pointing down at the two.

"I can't believe Kakashi was stupid enough to get Ren's mother-mode activated!" Izumo continued as he slammed his hand down on his thigh.

"Right?! What a moron!" Kotetsu agreed as he heard Ren verbally abuse Kakashi in front of thousands of people.

Up where the Kages sat, Raidō was facepalming repeatedly, but quietly as to not draw much attention.

Hiruzen had put his hands up to his eyes and looked away from his student who had disguised himself as the Kazekage. "At a time like this, he still can't stop his temper..."

Orochimaru couldn't help but snicker at the scene that had just played out. "He certainly seems to be an interesting one."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed as they looked over at the so-called Kazekage, but his hand blocked that movement from the view of the enemy. He decided to not comment on it and just let his hand drop back down.

Meanwhile, Sakura was looking away from the scene with slight embarrassment. "In front of all of these people... That idiot is making a scene."

"Well, you should know better than anyone what kind of mood he gets into when someone really pushes his buttons," Ino pointed out while grinning at the mother-like actions of one of her frenemies.

"That's right. Ren has always been a sucker for punctuality, so this was bound to happen," Gai stated as he and Lee made it down to the row where Sakura, Ino, and Choji sat side-by-side.

"I'm surprised Ren-kun lasted this long. He typically goes into his mother-mode within a week of any repetitive bad behavior," Lee said with a small tilt of his head.

"He probably only lasted this long because Kakashi-sensei keeps calling him a delinquent," Sakura muttered as she looked away with a twitching smile.

"Delinquent?" Chōji repeated questioningly.

"Ren's done a lot of... questionable things in the past," Ino answered as she too looked away.

Gai and Lee nodded in approval, especially since they saw a few of those questionable actions in person.

The pink-haired girl gave a deep sigh. "In any case, Kakashi-sensei is about to learn why no one is late when is comes to Ren..."

"Not even Kakashi could escape Ren's mother-mode unscathed," Gai said with his arms crossed, a serious expression on his face.

They could only pray for Kakashi's safety and/or sanity at that point.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three

I huffed angrily as I walked through the stadium, my hands still clenched into fists and my eyes narrowed. I heard soft shuffling behind me, so I was slightly calmed down by the fact Kakashi-sensei wouldn't need to go to the psych ward for a month or two.

"Ren-kun!" Lee-senpai exclaimed as he noticed me walking down the aisle towards him, Gai, Sakura, Ino-chan, and Choji-san.

I opened my mouth to snap at him, but managed to catch myself at the very last second. I brought up my left index finger and pinched the bridge of my nose for a moment to regain my control of my emotions.

"Uh... Kakashi?" Gai-sensei muttered as he moved past me to his eternal rival.

The man audibly flinched away and shuffled about for a second before greeting shakily, "H-hello Gai, and Lee-kun too. Is your body alright now?"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled at the silverenette before making a dangerously annoyed expression.

"I-I'm very sorry. You must have been worried. I'm really sorry for not contacting you all," the jônin apologized profusely.

"Aaand?" I asked as I looked over my shoulder with a piercing gaze.

"I-I'm extremely sorry for being so late! It won't happen again!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed, stiffening up dramatically upon making eye-contact.

I huffed through my nose before nodding. "Better."

"Um, not to rude or anything Ren, but what level did you go to?" Gai-sensei asked warily.

"Level 5, obviously," I replied as I crossed my arms.

"Level 5?!" The taijutsu expert shrieked before whirling around to face his eternal rival. "Kakashi! Are you okay?! How are you even standing?!"

"I don't know," the sharingan-wielder replied softly before latching onto the other man's shoulders. "I just don't know, Gai. I never thought that..." He shuddered as if he had just been thrown into a large pile of snow while completely in the nude. "Everything I ever taught him, the things you taught him... I never thought he'd use them against me all at once. I shouldn't be alive right now. I don't even know if this is real or not. What if this is just a big part of the genjutsu Ren cast? Are you really here, Gai?"

"Ren, you broke him!" Gai-sensei exclaimed while looking at me with surprise and slight horror.

I gave a sickly-sweet smile and looked over my shoulder at the two men. "Well the good thing is that Kakashi-sensei won't be late to your challenges again, right?"

The silverenette jolted before replying loudly, "Y-yes, of course!"

"All of this because you didn't bring Sasuke-kun here on time..." Ino-chan muttered with a twitching smile.

"That doesn't matter anymore..." Sakura spoke up as she looked down at Uchiha with a saddened expression. "Kakashi-sensei... On Sasuke-kun's neck... there was a mark, right? Is that...?"

"Don't worry," Kakashi-sensei advised as he too looked down at the emo duck.

My little sister looked over in surprise.

The man replied by giving a genuine closed-eye smile, causing my twin to make such a relieved expression, I thought she was going to cry. His black eye then began to move around the arena, clearly counting up all the ANBU members present.

I motioned for Kakashi-sensei not to say anything since the plan changed while he was away with Uchiha. Upon receiving a silent look for explanation, I causally motioned down to Gaara while putting my hand on my stomach where Uzumaki-kun's seal was.

His black eye filled up with alarm, but he didn't say anything about it. He simply gave a nod before dropping the topic.

"So... I'm going to go get Uzumaki-kun since his dumb ass is missing the match," I said while turning heel.

"Eh? You're going to miss the start of it," Lee-senpai pointed out.

"Relax, I know this match will drag on like Uzumaki-kun's did," I replied while waving the injured boy off. I then continued on my lazy walk towards the chakra coming from my blonde companion. I eventually came across him and Shikamaru-san sitting on the stairs silently. I raised a brow at them and whistled to catch their attentions.

"Haruno-kun!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed as he stood up, a worried expression on his face.

"What's up?" I asked while looking between and the Nara.

"That Gaara guy just killed two men right there like it was nothing," the black-eyed boy still sitting muttered while pointing over to the darkened hallway.

I thought I smelt blood. Well, as long as he didn't touch these two, it's fine. I blinked before watching the blonde run past me. "Where are you going?"

"To find Kakashi-sensei! I'm going to stop this fight!" Uzumaki-kun yelled, causing my eyes to narrow drastically.

I took a step towards him before rethinking my plan. I just teleported to Kakashi-sensei instead and motioned for him to keep his mouth shut.

The man raised a silver brow at me.

"Kakashi-sensei!" The blue-eyed boy yelled about thirty seconds after I had left him, causing the others to look back at him and Shikamaru-san, who had surprisingly run after the blonde despite being so damn lazy.

"Naruto-kun!" Lee-senpai exclaimed with a happy smile.

"Hn? What's up?" The jônin questioned.

"Sensei, stop this fight right now!" Uzumaki-kun demanded, allowing Kakashi-sensei to understand why I told him to keep his mouth shut. "He's totally different from us! He's not normal!"

"Naruto... What are you talking about?" Ino-chan asked, her brow furrowed with worry.

"He lives to kill others! Anyway, at this rate, Sasuke will die!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed, causing the others to start to get antsy. "Kakashi-sensei!"

"Well..." The silverenette drawn out, causing the others to give their attentions to him. "Don't worry. He and I weren't late for nothing."

Down in the arena, Uchiha smirked as he wiped his right cheek with the back of his hand. He soon dropped that hand down and charged for the ball of sand Gaara had encased himself in. He kicked the ball, only for his foot to bounce off. The black-haired boy jumped back before his brow furrowed a bit. He suddenly gained a fierce expression as he put his hands in front of his face.

"You know, I'm beginning to think you favor that duck for all the wrong reasons," I said blankly, my hands in my pockets as I stared down at Uchiha.

"Huh?" The man questioned, clearly not understanding my jab.

"That doesn't matter now. Sensei, what do you mean that you weren't late for nothing?" Sakura inquired.

"Hn? You wanna know?" Kakashi-sensei replied, starting up his damn answering a question with a question bullshit.

"No, she wants to listen to you pathetic-ass voice give an explanation that she doesn't give a damn about," I answered as sarcastically as possible.

"Look, we don't have time for this!" The kyūbi host yelled.

"Be quiet and watch him," the jônin demanded, earning shocked looks from the others. "You'll be surprised."

Duckass jumped back three times before landing about halfway up the arena wall. He summoned his chakra to his feet to keep him in place before performing a few handsigns. He forced both of his hands down and took a moment to focus his chakra to his left hand.

"No way... Is that...?" Gai-sensei looked over his shoulder at the douchebag that was giving a closed-eye smile.

"The reason I trained Sasuke is because he is the same type as me," Kakashi-sensei finally admitted while Uchiha performed the chidori.

Sasuke, who had trained vigorously in taijutsu to keep his hand from being destroyed by the technique, ran down the arena wall, his chidori breaking off small pieces as he did so.

"Hightened flesh?!" Gai-sensei exclaimed in shock before looking back at his eternal rival again. "I see... So that's why you only trained in taijutsu and had him greatly increase his speed..."

The sharingan-weilder gave another closed-eye smile and replied, "Yup."

Uchiha continued up his face pace of running, and his chakra remained visible to the naked eye.

"Incredible... You can clearly see the chakra in his hand... What's going on?" Sakura asked as she watched her crush with great awe.

The boy jumped from the wall and began to move across the ground, his jutsu not giving up even once.

"What is that?!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed.

I blinked before suddenly dispelling the genjutsu that had begun to fall across the arena. I then teleported to the ANBU headquarters, gaining the attention of everyone who was on standby. "The invasion has started! Move out!"

The shinobi who were the best of the best all moved out without another word or a second's hesitation. They all knew their parts of the plan, just like I knew mine.

I then teleported to a nearby tower where the birds awaited to be released. I quickly opened the cage for the largest bird and sent it out into the sky to alert all the other shinobi on standby. I then moved to the main office of the school and turned on the speakers for the school. "Plan Alpha has started. Move out." I left the teachers to deal with the children before going to the hospital, only to see a few shinobi already there and directing everyone. I then teleported to Ibiki, who nodded once before waving me off.

Apparently everyone was ahead of the ball game.

I gave a small shrug before teleporting back to the arena to where the daimyō and such laid under the trap of the genjutsu. I made a few quick handsigns before making a wooden barrier to protect them from the fighting.

After all, if they were hurt under our watch, we could never redeem ourselves.

I gave a deep sigh before my eyes turned to the ceiling above me. I then gave a smirk and cooed, "Looks like I get that punch to your face after all~." I used the hiraishin jutsu to appear near the Hokage before delivering a solid punch to Orochimaru's face. "You're off guard, Orochimaru!"

The old man moved aside, his sleeve covered in blood from the wound Orochimaru had given himself.

Said snake, meanwhile, skid back as he looked at me in shock. "There's no way-" He cut himself off upon realizing that I had used the hiraishin jutsu.

"I'm ready for the rematch. Are you?" I asked the snake with a smirk while gripping the handle of my tantō.

Besides me, Hokage-sama threw his robes off, revealing the armor that was hidden away underneath.

Orochimaru looked over at the old man and smirked. "So you had your funeral shroud prepared..." He gripped the clothes of the Kazekage before throwing them aside, revealing the tacky as fuck outfit he was wearing underneath. "Heh heh... To be able to fight you two again..."

"Heh... Looks like you won't be able to escape easily," I joked as the people creating the barrier also made a another wall to protect themselves from the inside.

"As if he intended to... You'd rather not have anyone get in your way, right?" Orochimaru question, his eyes moving from me to his previous sensei.

The old man smirked, causing me to look at him with a mix of annoyance and amusement.

I moved back and went on standby as the two released powerful amounts of chakra. After all, I was simply there as backup as was decided from the very beginning. I'd only step in if things got particularly hairy.

The two suddenly rushed forwards while throwing weapons before making several handsigns within the span of a second. Hokage-sama performed the shuriken kage bunshin jutsu to turn his one shuriken into about a hundred while Orochimaru summoned a human-sized coffin thing from the roof, quickly followed by a second one.

I got down to my knee and performed several hansigns before muttering, "Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu." My right arm extended out and turned into a strong branch. That branch split off into many to bind the two corpses that had just been released from the coffins, but unfortunately not Orochimaru who jumped away quickly. I clicked my tongue with annoyance, but stayed content with the fact I had at least managed to bind Shodaime-sama and Nidaime-sama.

"It's been a while, huh Saru?" Nidaime-sama questioned.

"Ohhh... It's you... Hmmm... You've grown old, haven't you, Sarutobi?" Shodai-sama questioned before turning his attention to me. He gave a stupid smile before looking at his brother. "Your great-grandson looks just like you, Tobirama!"

I deadpanned with great annoyance before yelling over, "I'm not his great-grandson!"

"Eh? But you look just like him," the long-haired brunette objected.

"Our eyes are different colors, and he doesn't have markings on his face. That's not adding in the fact he isn't nearly as pale as I am. The only thing that would link him to me is his white hair," Nidaime-sama pointed out to his idiot of an older brother.

Shodaime-sama looked between his younger brother and I a few times before asking, "Ah, right. Did you even have children?"

The facial expression my man-crush made clearly displayed that he would have facepalmed about one hundred times if his arms weren't trapped to his side.

And this, Tenzō-taichō, is why Nidaime-sama is my favorite Hokage, I thought before looking at Hokage-sama blankly. "So... What should I do with them?"

"Can you keep then restrained for the duration of the fight?" The old man questioned.

I gave a small shrug before pulling to two bound men towards me with my kekkei genkai. I knew it wouldn't hurt them to go at such a fast speed, especially since they were technically dead and using someone else's body. I then retreated several meters away from the two powerful and living shinobi before pulling Nidaime-sama and Shodai-sama closer to my being, but not too close. Once they were just outside kicking range, I put my free hand on my hip. "So, how are you two doing?"

Nidaime-sama looked over at his brother and stated, "He definitely has your genes."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Shodai-sama exclaimed with an offended expression.

"Before any of that," I interrupted with my hand in the air, "Nidaime-sama, you totally messed up by making the police force an Uchiha Clan only thing."

"What?" The albino asked me.

"Yeah, you made them suspicious of your actions, and their curse of hatred lead to them to plan a coup d'état which ended up in a massacre of their entire clan via the one Uchiha who had a strong Will of Fire," I explained, causing the man's face to turn completely blank.

After a few seconds of silence, Nidaime-sama said a single word with great emphasis. "Uchihas."

"Exactly," I agreed.

"No, he has more of your genes," Shodai-sama butted in with a grin.

"Actually, as far as records go, I'm not directly related to either of you," I stated, causing both men to look at me with confusion. "Yeah, we're speculating that I'm related to you via your ancestors."

"Hmmm..." The brunette narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously for several long moments. "What's your name again?"

"Haruno Ren," I answered, completely unphased by his pathetic attempt to intimidate me.

The brothers gave each other looks that one would make if they were just told bullshit that they knew was bullshit - an amused, inside only joke expression that pissed the hell out of me. They then looked at me at the same time and asked, "Are you related to Haruno Mareo?"

I paused for a moment and quickly thought up my extensive family tree. Finally, I answered, "Actually, yes. He's like a distant uncle, seventh cousin, or something similar."

The brothers nodded as if approving my agreement.

Uh, excuse me bitch? Don't go fucking asking me questions and then nod like you knew it was the right answer all along. What if I said no, huh? I thought while glaring blankly into their souls. I decided to drop my annoyance, however, and inquired, "So besides being a wandering monk, what was he known for?"

Without even taking a second to deliberate, both Shodaime-sama and Nidaime-sama answered, "He flirted with every male he came across."

Of course, I was horrified. Every make he came across?! Did that bastard not have standards?! There's no way I could be related to someone like that!

"Haha! Tobirama made that same face the first time Mareo-san flirted with him!" Shodaime-sama laughed.

"I did not!" Nidaime-sama snapped at his older brother with a face of pure embarrassment.

The two brothers began to bicker over whether or not what Hashirama-sama said was true.

I decided to look past the two while they were distracted and saw Orochimaru and Hokage-sama were battling it out. I hummed softly before worry began to bubble inside of me. Is there any way to make a kage bunshin with one hand?

"So, you seem to be pretty good with this kekkei genkai despite your age," Shodaime-sama stated, causing me to give him my partial attention.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I've been training hard to learn if the past month," I replied absentmindedly while keeping my eye on that damn snake.

"A month?! You're joking!" The brunette exclaimed, earning even more of my attention. "It took me years to control my kekkei genkai! There's no way you could have learned something like this in a month!"

"Oh, well I actually had down the basics before. I just didn't know how to make trees and the like," I explained while waving him off.

"So did you just make flowers and such before?" The black-eyed man inquired.

"Only lotuses," I answered before a black lotus fell from my hair. I held it towards him with my left hand before looking past him towards the important battle.

"You didn't use a handsign or focus your chakra! That's incredible!" Nidaime-sama approved, his face displaying the shock he had at my feat.

"Indeed! How did you do that?" Shodaime-sama asked immediately afterwards, his facial expression displaying more amazement than shock.

I was only worried about the praise I received from Tobirama-sama. I felt my face practically explode into a tomato red, but managed to awkwardly cough it away. "U-um, thank you for the compliment. As for how I did it, it's part of a jutsu I thought I created. Though seeing as how it's part of my kekkei genkai, I'm sure someone else has done something similar even before me."

"I've never seen that jutsu though," the man in red armor objected.

I gave a deep sigh before rubbing the back of my neck. "Well, as much as I'd like to show you, I have no idea how to stop this jutsu. My taichō didn't really explain that part since he was suddenly called away for an S-Rank mission."

"Oh, that's easy. I can even tell you how to keep us bound up," Shodaime-sama stated with bright smile, giving me the impression he really was an airhead. Nevertheless, he did, in fact, explain how to release the jutsu while keeping him and his brother bound up.

Once I was sure they couldn't escape, I knelt down and took out a kunai. I carved the necessary shape into the shingles before performing the correct handsigns. I watched silently as two black lotuses formed from the carving apathetically. Once they were fully released, I picked them up and placed one in Shodaime-sama's hair and the other in Nidaime-sama's.

"Huh? What are these for?" The brunette questioned as he looked up, trying to see the flower.

"It's a bad habit," I answered honestly before making a kage bunshin. I waved it off, causing it to nod and head in closer to Orochimaru and Hokage-sama.

"Ah, you can use kage bunshins, too," he muttered.

"Yeah. I can use a few of the jutsus made by Nidaime-sama," I beamed happily.

Upon hearing that I had given him the proper credit, Tobirama-sama seemed to warm up to me a bit. "Is that so?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. I can also use your hiraishin jutsu. It took me a while to figure out how to make chakra seals though. I'm better at physical ones."

"Ah, I understand. The transference does give people problems. But you can use it fine now?" The albino questioned.

I teleported to a further spot away, and then back to the two Senjus. "Yep. For the most part, I use the jutsu to find people and head to their location. Though, for today, it was necessary for me to place seals all around the village to move to."

"What do you mean by "for today"?" Hashirama-sama inquired with a dumb look on his face I had only ever seen on Uzumaki-kun.

"Well, we knew Orochimaru was going to attack the village. He's going after the only Uchiha left in the village after the massacre, or rather, the sharingan," I explained simply.

"You mentioned that the Uchihas were planning a coup," the man with three red markings on his face said slowly, his tone clearly indicating that he wanted a real explanation.

"Well, this is actually confidential information, but since you're a former Hokage, I'm sure Hokage-sama wouldn't mind," I replied slowly while eyeing up how my kage bunshin was actually involved in the fighting, him and Hokage-sama tagging in and out at random intervals. "As I mentioned earlier, Nidaime-sama, when you set up the police force, the Uchihas believed that you were keeping them under control despite the fact you wanted them to use their energy for the benefit of Konoha. In any case, those Uchihas had their seed of hatred planted deep inside of them, and it eventually spread to the rest of the clan over time. Only a few Uchihas, which I can count on my fingers, had a stronger Will of Fire. All but one of them are dead, and the one that is alive was the one forced to carry out the massacre of his clan."

I gave a deep sigh at the remembrance of Itachi. "But I must digress. You see, that seed of hatred had caused the Uchihas to plan something to change the way Konoha function - a coup d'état. Two particular Uchihas, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, had known about the trouble that would arise and decided to go against their clan's wishes.

"Along the way, Shisui had lost moral deeply and committed suicide which was unfortunately blamed on Itachi. So, it was left to Itachi to find a way to get the clan from committing the coup. As suggested by Danzō, Itachi ended up slaughtering his entire clan one night, leaving his younger brother as the sole survivor.

"Uchiha Sasuke, that survivor, has made it his life goal to kill Itachi since he doesn't know about the clan's coup and Itachi's mission. Unfortunately, he needs power to pull of that task. Orochimaru, the man currently fighting Hokage-sama over there, is offering that power to my stupid teammate." I gave a deep sigh and shook my head at the mere thought of the idiotic duckass.

"Orochimaru... Who is he exactly?" Nidaime-sama asked with a furrowed brow.

"He used to be Hokage-sama's student, but went rogue several years back. That damn snake formed his own kami-forsaken country and is currently trying to destroy Konoha in a joint effort with Sunagakure," I replied with great annoyance bubbling inside of me, my eyes directed towards the fucking snake that needed to be gutted alive and then dumped into a giant forest fire to burn to death Orochimaru.

Tobirama-sama suddenly stood up with an enraged expression, causing me to automatically flinch away. "He's trying to destroy Konoha?"

"A-ah, ch-chill dude," I demanded worriedly as I got ready to grab my tantō. "We knew ahead of time and made a plan to counteract them."

"That's still unforgivable-"

"Otōto, enough," Shodaime-sama demanded, his tone surprisingly serious considerating he had been nothing but an airhead the entire conversation.

"But-"

"Sit down, and let him finish," the brunette ordered with a small glare.

My man-crush slowly sat back down, allowing me to ease up a tiny bit.

"Please continue," Shodaime-sama request with a kind smile directed towards me.

I was a bit hesitant, but gave a nod nonetheless. "Of course. Um, anyway, Orochimaru snuck in through the chunin exams after he literally stole someone's face and wore it around like a mask." I shivered upon remembering that. "He had spies that were inside of the chûnin exams - spies that helped out my team since Uchiha Sasuke was on it. Of course, those spies made it obvious who they were based on their actions during the exams."

"If they were spies, why make it obvious?" The albino questioned with a small tilt of his head.

"Ah, well..." I looked away for a split-second before returning my gaze, a nervous smile on my face. "I suppose it wouldn't be obvious to just anyone. I'm able to pick up different body language cues and connect them with past knowledge that I have. Um, for example, the one spy that had been in Konoha for years had somehow failed the chunin exams seven times in a row. Not only that, but his teammates also failed alongside him. Then, before the exam even began, he approached my team and gave them advice and info on a few other rookie genin taking the exams.

"During the second part of the exams, Orochimaru attacked and used a certain genjutsu that caused to live out your own gruesome death, thus paralyzing you in place. The spy managed to use that same genjutsu on me during the preliminaries for the third part of the exam, granted his was to a weaker effect.

"Of course, the biggest link to his affiliation with Orochimaru was my gut feeling. My intuition is rarely ever wrong." I gave a small sigh before remembering how Orochimaru reacted as he and I practically threatened to kill each other while Kakashi-sensei was paralysed and Sasuke unconscious. He knew about me not being around for much longer, but as it turns out, we were both wrong in our assumptions. I'm not leaving like Orochimaru thought, and I'm not dying as I thought. But I really won't be around those I care about, no matter how much it'll hurt both them and I.

"So, they weren't obvious unless you knew what to look for," the man in blue armor noted softly to himself.

"Yeah, I suppose you could say that," I agreed before clearing my throat. "So back to the second part of the exams. He attacked my team and put some sort of curse seal on my teammate. Unfortunately, that seal won't go away unless a very powerful jutsu counteracts that one. In any case, after Orochimaru messed up my team, he sent three of his disposable pawns after us the next day. A few other teams from Konoha helped us out, thankfully, and gave us enough time to overpower them. Orochimaru didn't make any more notable moves until today, the day he decided to invade the village."

"You said that there is a counter attack. How exactly did everything get set up?" Shodaime-sama inquired.

"Ah, well..." I looked away and scratched my cheek before just sighing in defeat. I turned my gaze back to the two former Hokages and admitted, "I have this weird ability that allows me to properly predict the future. It's a sixth sense, if you will."

"And you use it for betting, right? For example, I bet it will rain tomorrow," Nidaime-sama inferred, causing me to look at him in surprise. "Mareo-san was the same way."

I guess I'm related after all... I thought with a deadpanned expression before just brushing it off. "Well, in any case, I used that ability to predict certain upcoming events, which was used to create a counter attack. The ANBU were dispatched first, then the jônin and chûnin that were on standby, and finally I went around and began to get the ball rolling for the evacuation of civilians and the like. Then, I had to come back here and put up a barrier around the daimyōs before helping out Hokage-sama here, though my real body is only allowed to be used as backup. I was specifically given orders to not fight since last time ended up..." I trailed off as I tried to think of a word that could properly describe the bullshit I had to go through while dealing with Orochimaru and his goddamn shit.

"Poorly," the man who I admired unconditionally offered, causing me to nod.

"Yep. Nearly died from blood loss last time," I said with a completely neutral expression, my hands on my hips as I stared at the old man. "But, my sensei instilled in me a quote that I'm going to live by today given the right opportunity."

The two men looked interested, causing me to look back at them with the utmost seriousness.

"In the ninja world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders are scum. But those who do not care for and support their fellow shinobi are even worse than scum," I quoted from Kakashi-sensei.

Their eyes widened in surprise, before admiration began to set in.

"That's a great quote. Your sensei must be a good man," Hashirama-sama said with a genuine smile.

Tobirama-sama nodded in approval. "If he lives by that quote, he must be an even better shinobi."

"Yes, he's a great person," I agreed while turning my gaze back to the three fighting on the far side of the rood. "He's gone through his fair share of trials, but he's managed to overcome them and become stronger. He has an amazing Will of Fire, and I respect him quite a bit for it. I couldn't ask for a better person to be my sensei."

"What's his name?" Shodaime-sama requested to know.

"Hatake Kakashi, also known as Copy Ninja no Kakashi or Sharingan no Kakashi. He is a man who had copied over one thousand jutsu and even invented one of his own when he was a child," I answered as I turned my focus back to the two men.

"If he's not an Uchiha, how does he have a sharingan?" The man in red armor asked with a tilt of his head.

"Well, he's never officially told me, but I can come to my own conclusions," I replied hesitantly. "You see, when he was younger, a boy named Uchiha Obito, his best friend, died to save his life. I believe he inherited the sharingan from that boy and carries it around to this day."

"An Uchiha?" The man in blue armor questioned with his brow deeply furrowed.

"He was one of the good ones with a strong Will of Fire," I replied, earning a hum from Shodaime-sama. Just before I could open my mouth to continue, the memories from my kage bunshin came into my mind. I dropped down to one knee as my disposition took major turn. I performed several handsigns before creating a miniature forest as requested by Hokage-sama.

Bad habit my ass. Though, it's not like you'd ever tell anyone the real reason for why you give people lotuses, I thought with an internal snicker before being waved off by my original. I quickly headed left to get closer to Hokage-sama and that snake bastard.

The man with liver spots on his face glanced back at me once and easily distinguished that I was a bunshin. He gave a small smirk before turning his gaze back to his former student.

Taking that as an invitation, I used the hiraishin jutsu to appear next to Orochimaru, my fist drawn back. I allowed chakra to pulse through my right arm before I managed to punch the damn snake across the face. "You're still off guard, you bastard!"

The yellow-eyed man skin back with his arms up in front of his chest as if to ward off any attacks that may have come in from the front. His pupils narrowed as he came to a stop, his eyes displaying his annoyance with my actions.

I grinned like the little shit that I was before motioning for him to come hit me.

The man moved surprisingly fast considering he was at least fifty. He began to make a few handsigns before he was forced to jump back.

Hokage-sama had turned his one shuriken into at least a hundred once again, causing me to make a mental note of that jutsu for later use. Sadly, even if they were kage bunshins of the shuriken, they could only spread out so far from the original.

Orochimaru managed to get far enough back so he wouldn't be hit. Annoyance was clearly radiating from his body, though that would change to rage after my next move.

I quickly teleported behind the man before drawing my tantō. I slashed his back and then returned to Konoha's leader's side. I sheathed the tantō almost all the way, leaving a centimeter out. After a moment's pause, I forced the rest in, allowing a metallic ring to fill the air just before Orochimaru's pained noise.

It had been a technique that I worked on since finding out my blade was rather unique in its creation. If one were to slice fast enough, the wound wouldn't be noticed right away. Instead, it wound remain closed and give off no pain. However, once the tantō was sheathed to completion, and it made its metallic ring, the wound would suddenly open up with a fury.

"It's not the same as the wound you gave me, but I'd like to consider it proper payback for what you did," I explained with a smirk to the man who had blood dripping down his back.

"Oh? Was the kidney just a down payment?" Orochimaru snarled at me, earning himself a cheeky remark.

"No, that one was because you're an asshole. I'd like to get the other one while I'm here though." I gave a playful wink as my smirk widened. I then jumped back as he suddenly rushed forwards while continuing on with his handsigns.

Hokage-sama jumped in and created a large blast of fire from his mouth to intercept the man. He was a powerful old man, that much was certain.

I dropped down to one knee and began to make a few handsigns as Orochimaru used a water-based jutsu to counteract the fire sent at him. I wanted to get that steam cleared as fast as possible so there wouldn't be any troubles for the old man in terms of visibility.

While that was going on, the two kept sending jutsus at each other despite the low visibility. They were obviously trying to get the other to wear out faster, but unfortunately age was against Hokage-sama.

I forced the palms of my hand together as Orochimaru began to close the distance between him and his former sensei. My eyes narrowed drastically before a tree came between them, allowing for the Sarutobi to gain some space.

His black eyes shot over to me before he gave a single nod while flashing me three fingers.

I grit my teeth before closing my eyes. I calmed myself down and mixed my chakra up so there'd be no mistakes when I created a multitude of trees. I couldn't perform the jutsu to allow me to create an entire forest as Shodaime-sama could, but that didn't mean that I couldn't just make a shitload of trees one at a time at a fast rate as compensation.

"Move back!" Hokage-sama suddenly yelled, causing my eyes to open.

I didn't move back in time, and instead got a hand placed on my head. I saw the kunai thrusting towards my chest and could only think of one final and idiotic thought, When and/or where the fuck did he get that goddamn kunai? I know that bitch isn't wearing a kunai holster.

"Eh?! You can also use that jutsu! You really are an impressive kid!" The brunette gushed, only for me to ignore him since I probably didn't use jutsu he had expected me to.

I felt sweat run down my forehead from the sudden use of so much chakra. Nevertheless, I created two kage bunshins and before departing so I could help out the old man. Just as I arrived to his side, I saw him bite his right thumb before he slammed it into a nearby tree.

A monkey summoning, or what I assumed was a monkey, appeared with a slightly annoyed expression. "...Orochimaru... So it's come to this after all...!" He then looked over his shoulder at Hokage-sama and criticized, "You're pathetic, you know that Sarutobi? This is all because you wouldn't kill him when you had the chance that time!"

This bitch had the chance to kill Orochimaru and didn't take it?! What the fuck?! I internally screeched.

"That's what we're going to do from here on," Hokage-sama stated.

"Hump! You're a little too late!" The monkey commented.

Yeah, no shit, I thought with a sideways glare.

Ignoring the jab, the man with black eyes commanded, "Enma! Use the kongōnyoi!"

"Gotcha," the big monkey, now named Enma, replied before twisting around and yelling, "Henge!" He quickly transformed into a long black pole with yellow ends.

Hokage-sama caught the pole that was bigger than his body and seemed ready for a real battle to begin.

Orochimaru smirked before opening his mouth, allowing a snake to come out.

I forced myself not to make a noise of repulsion and instead asked as a sword began to come out of the snake's mouth, "What the fuck is that?"

"The sword of Kusanagi," the wise old man answered.

Orochimaru grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it from the snake before allowing said snake to retreat back into his body.

That was the grossest thing I have seen in my entire life, I thought with the utmost disgust.

Suddenly, Hokage-sama jumped into the air and yelled, "Here we go, Enma!"

"Even if I'm in kongō form, the blade of Kusanagi is gonna be sore, man..." Enma complained.

The Sarutobi paid his companion no mind as he turned the pole's one end towards Orochimaru.

Enma extended outwards at a fast speed, but was blocked by the sword. His head suddenly came out as if he was going to bite the snake. Before he got the chance, Orochimaru kicked Hokage-sama back a few meters.

I gave a small huff before replacing the old man with my tantō drawn. I swung my blade at Orochimaru, only for him to parry it with his sword. I once again swung my smaller blade towards him, only for him to swing his at mine.

Our blades connected themselves, and refused to budge even as we put our weight into them. They just ground against each other, releasing small sparks from the friction of metal on metal.

Upon realizing that I wasn't getting anywhere, I suddenly ducked down while turning right. I quickly circled around and began to lunged upwards with my blade aimed at his head. I felt annoyance run through my bloodstream as his sword ran diagonal in my path.

Our blades collided and rubbed against each other, creating significantly more sparks as my body continued to lunged forwards.

Those sparks were dangerously close to my face as I suddenly changed the angle of my blade. I felt my eyes narrow in on his neck and pushed my blade faster against his. I shot my right hand forwards while aiming for the left side of his neck, only for him to jump back slightly. I felt victorious as a chunk of his hair came falling down to the ground after being cut by my blade.

Apparently, Orochimaru really did get riled up if you cut his hair off. His yellow eyes filled themselves up with rage before he kicked my chest hard enough to send me crashing against the trunk of one of my trees.

I spat out a quick curse as my back made contact with the bark, but didn't have more time to dwell on the pain seeing as how a sword was aimed at my head. I quickly rolled to my right, but was unfortunately too slow. I flinched and shut my left eye after my forehead was cut by his blade. I jumped back a few spaces and cursed as blood began to run down my face from the wound.

Thankfully, Hokage-sama jumped back in with Enma and swung the pole at Orochimaru, hitting said male across the face. He landed in front of me while panting a bit, causing my eyes to narrow.

I stood up quickly and opened my mouth. "Hokage-sama-"

The man shook his helmeted head at me, causing me to shut my mouth.

Orochimaru stood up while wiping his cheek, a smirk on his face as he stared at his former master. "You breath seems to be coming rather fast, you know..."

The man with liver spots on his face grit his teeth in reply.

"Well now, what will you do?" Orochimaru inquired.

The black-eyed man placed his right hand on the shingles where a bit of water laid to cover the ends of his fingers. "The jutsu exchange stops here! From here on, it's gonna be a blood-drenched, free-for-all... Just like how a shinobi battle should be!"

I'm taking that as expressed permission to go all out, I thought with a small nod before taking in a deep breath. Kaimon! Kyūmon! My chakra gates opened up, allowing for my body to be completely re-energized. My grip on my tantō hilt tightened before I once again engaged in battle with Orochimaru, my left eye opening itself since my blood flowed into the air and away from my eye.

He and I exchanged blows to each other's blades, mine overpowering his since I had more power.

I grinned viciously as I kicked him back into a tree to repay him for earlier. I got cocky as he released a pained noise and lunged forwards without a second thought. As my blade reached closer to his head, his blade suddenly went for my arm.

Since his sword had a longer reach, it easily ended up cutting a vertical line right up my damn shoulder. That bastard was probably waiting for me to lose my cool. Well, he was a sannin for a reason.

I quickly backtracked while holding the wound with my left hand. My right hand dropped the tantō to the ground. I figured that he got dangerously close to hitting some nerves, and my muscles spasmed as a result. It was rather annoying, to be honest.

"Are you going to pay me back for that too?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk.

I didn't let him bend me to his will and instead chuckled. "Yeah, eventually." I pulled my hand away from my bleeding arm and shook it off lazily. I managed to calm my body down, causing my muscles to work easier for me. I lifted up my tantō with my left hand as my feet spread themselves apart. "Get up so I can properly take care of you, vermin."

"How rude," Orochimaru muttered before getting up anyway, his sword carefully raised with my blood still on the blade.

I dropped my head down a bit as a shadow came over my eyes. "Great."

The snake sannin flinched back as I suddenly appear before him with a dead look in my eyes. "What?!"

"Great," I repeated as I swung my blade and hit his away. "Great..." I stabbed my blade through his right shoulder and pinned him to the tree behind him. I then jumped back and pulled out four kunais along with four papers. I threw them into a box around him before using my chakra to bind him in place.

"Wh-what the hell is this?" Orochimaru growled as the seals previously on the papers crawled up his legs at a frightening speed.

"A one-way barrier combined with binding seals. It's common among those who use seals as much as I, or at least that's what I've been told," I explained lazily while pulling a small roll of bandages from my back pouch. I wrapped my arm wound as half-assed as one could since my left hand wasn't good at anything but wielding a blade, no matter the circumstances.

The snake narrowed his eyes at me before using his special genjutsu that caused you to experience your own death.

I closed my eyes with small sigh as my body was ripped to shreds so small, nothing would remain for my cremation. I waited patiently for the genjutsu to be over before looking at Orochimaru blankly. "How many times are you going to use that same technique? Why not change it up, make it more interesting?" I gave a shit-eating grin. "Or can you not? Your eyes are nothing near the sharingan, so it wouldn't surprise me if your pathetic little genjutsus are as good as you can get."

The sannin wasn't impressed with my smartmouth, but then again, no one really was. His right hand clutched the Kusanagi so hard, his knuckles were white. It's not like he could do anything else, however, since he was bound by the seals.

I chuckled softly reached in to grab my tantō. I quickly pulled my hand back as the seals came after me, but remained okay as my hand slipped from the square I had made around Orochimaru. I watched as his wound began to bleed before lifting my blade up. I carefully wiped the blood off of the black metal with my pants before shaking my head with slight disdain. "No matter how much I see you bleed, it still surprises me that your blood is as red as mine. Looking into your eyes that are filled with malice and a lack of compassion, it would make anyone think that you're not human..." I looked down at my blade and saw my darkened reflection. "Though I suppose all humans have some sort of dark and twisted side when it comes down to it."

"Hey! Original!"

I turned my head to see one of my kage bunshins jumping towards me. "You're supposed to be guarding the two former Hokages!"

"I'm a bunshin made by the other bunshin," it explained as it landed next to me. "Anyway, Tobirama-sama is really pissed off, and they can't calm him down."

"What do you want me to do about it?" I asked while motioning to Orochimaru.

"I don't know. I was just told to tell you," it said before giving a two-fingered salute. It then jumped back through the trees towards the apparently very upset Nidaime-sama.

"I can't believe how useless I am," I muttered with a palm to my face before suddenly jerking my head up. "Wait! Come back!"

My bunshin stopped while clearly rolling its eyes before turning heel. It quickly returned and gave me a slightly aggravated expression. "What now?"

"What was the last thing said before he suddenly flipped his lid?" I inquired with a hand on my hip.

My doppelganger got a stupid smile on its face before replying, "Yeah, Itachi-senpai has a nice smile."

I slapped the side of its head. "Of course he flipped out! He probably correlated me with Mareo, dumbass!"

"Oh shit!" My bunshin exclaimed before quickly scrambling away.

"Come back!" I demanded while waving the dumbass back over.

The thing grumbled profanities before returning to me one more time.

I pulled it in close before whispering, "Distract him by talking about Senju Tsunade and her bad gambling. It should get Shodaime-sama to start blabbing about something stupid."

"Alrighty, boss!" It exclaimed with a mock salute before quickly rushing away.

I stared silently for about three seconds before noting aloud, "The more bunshins I create, the stupider they seem to get. Or perhaps Shodaime-sama rubbed off on them. Dear kami-sama, I pray that you don't make me that stupid when those three's memories join mine."

Kami-sama didn't reply, but they were probably laughing at my request like they always did.

I turned my gaze towards the canopy. I saw past the tinted barrier and deduced that about half an hour had gone by since the invasion official started. "Well... This is going to be just as I had predicted, a battle royale that will end with a dumpster-fire of disasters unlike any other."

Orochimaru had no reply, but my declining chakra levels reminded me that I really needed to take care of him sooner rather than later.

I gave a small sigh of annoyance before jumping off of the ground, causing my chakra seals to recede. I stabbed my tantō forwards, but the man moved his head away in the nick of time. I jumped back a few times before glancing over my shoulder, only to see no old man. "Where the fuck did he go?"

Orochimaru lunged for me with his sword while I was distracted, earning me a nick to my left bicep.

"Ow," I commented blankly as I jumped back, my tantō still in my left hand. I continued to jump back with the sannin chasing after, his attitude slowly turning into one of sadistic glee. He has so many issues, it's not even funny to the likes of me.

Just as I suddenly jumped to my right to avoid a tree, Enma in his Kongou form hit Orochimaru across the face. "Nailed him!"

Hokage-sama returned from wherever he had ran off to and put his hands together in front of his mouth as if he was praying. His feet were spread apart, and he was giving off some pretty powerful chakra. Apparently the old man had recovered and was ready to finish what he started.

Orochimaru soon returned to a laid-back position, his hands placed on his sword as if it were a cane. "You've grown old, haven't you? I've never seen you strain so much..." The man laughed as he put his hand up to his face.

"What's so funny?" The man in armor questioned.

"It's so pitiful, you know... Even you, he who was hailed as the god of shinobi cannot defeat old age," the black-haired man replied before pulling his face off, revealing another, much younger looking face.

How many faces does this sick fuck wear at once? I thought with a raised brow, not nearly as phased by it as I was last time.

"Who the hell are you?!" The Sarutobi yelled.

I looked over at the old man as if he was stupid, which he really was being at that moment. "Well, well, well... I didn't expect this to be the reason you had such good body reflexes despite your old age."

"Oh? What were you expecting?" The man cooed with the voice of a significantly younger person.

Fucking gross, I thought before giving a one-shouldered shrug. "No idea, but it's not like Anko or Hokage-sama would reveal what they knew about whatever jutsu you were using..." I lowered my head a bit and narrowed my eyes. "Kinjutsu, huh, Orochimaru?

"That one, he's finally done it..." Enma noted as his eye stared wide at the snake before the three of us.

"You... can't mean, you had already achieved the completion of that kinjutsu," Hokage-sama took over.

The yellow-eyed man laughed. "It's been more than ten years since I left the village... I suffered quite a bit."

"You terrifying inhuman creature, you..." The man with liver spots on his face finally realized, causing me to take another step back. "One of the reasons I didn't choose you to be Yondaime was because of your twisted ideology..."

Yeah, no shit. No one in their right fucking mind would choose this nutbar, which is technically an insult to all nutbars, but whatever, I internally stated with a boatload of sarcasm.

"This immortality jutsu is a spell where you anchor your spirit to this world forever. In other words, it's a reincarnation spell where you find a new body and enter it with your spirit and gain possession of it," the supposedly fifty-year-old man explained, causing my brow to drastically furrow.

That means that I won't be able to find his location later down the line. I put a chakra seal on his physical form, not his spirit. Shit! No, wait, I put a seal on Kabuto ad well. I'll be fine so long as they stick together, I noted before glancing at the old man once more to see how he was dealing with this new information.

Orochimaru laughed once again, snapping my focus to him. "The reason why I disguised myself as my old self until now was... because I thought I'd let you feel nostalgic about the past..."

Hokage-sama made a noise that was a mix between annoyance and anger.

"To grow old... How destitute it can be... When I look at you, I can feel it deeply. You will die here... And I will obtain an even more younger, more beautiful, stronger body..." The man that was more than a few branches short of a full tree declared. "Konoha really entertains me to no end..."

"Even though he's trained hard for a month, his sharingan is still in its baby stage. Everyone here knows that. There's no point in going after him," I stared with a furrowed brow, not truly understanding Orochimaru's want- no- need for Sasuke.

"You have a point. That's why I intend to possess Sasuke-kun after he grows up a bit more to my tastes," that damn bastard replied with a smirk and a small giggle.

"So you want Uchiha Sasuke..." The black-eyed man said to himself before asking, "What number face... body... is that one, hm?"

Orochimaru took a second before answering, "...I believe it's the second one."

Second, huh? But that doesn't deny the very fact that he is weaker than before. I bet in a month, he'll need to possess someone else. I raised my head before saying with nothing but pure confidence, "I bet that kinjutsu of yours lasts three years, and every three years you needed to change bodies since the ones you possess naturally get weaker as time goes on."

Snake-like yellow eyes drifted over to me before a dark smirk came to his lips. "Your ability to piece things together will never cease to amaze me, Ren-chan."

"I'll take the "-kun," thank you very much. Only one person in all of existence is allowed to refer to me as Ren-chan, and you certainly aren't them," I replied sharply, my eyes narrowed drastically.

"Oho?" Orochimaru mused.

"Yeah," I agreed with a blank expression. I knew Orochimaru couldn't use that person against me, however, especially since that person was long dead.

"Well, no matter..." He waved the subject off with one of his pale hands. He turned his gaze back to his former sensei and began to put on the face he had just torn off. "To have you die, cursing your fate and regretting your entire life... I suppose this face would be best, hm?"

"Ren, if you could..." Hokage-sama asked, making me give a small sigh while dropping down to one knee.

I watched as the old man took up a defensive stance before me as I made several handsigns. I allowed my mixed chakra, aided by my opened chakra gates, to create several more trees with a significantly better landscape for the fight that was about to occur. I added much more twists and turns to my trees and internally prayed that my bunshins were smart enough to question Shodaime-sama about the proper jutsu to create a forest without having to make the trees individually.

Orochimaru gave a loud laugh before yelling, "You mustn't let your guard down now, sensei! You were always too compassionate!"

I clicked my tongue as I adjusted my grip on my tantō before reaching my mouth down to my right wrist. I bit into my skin and stood up fully, ready to fight. I couldn't have my right arm getting in the way because of its flimsiness.

"Ren, it's time for you to retreat," the Sarutobi stated, causing me to step forwards in objection. He looked back at me with nothing but seriousness in those black eyes of his. "You're in my way."

I bit down hard onto my wrist, blood coming into my mouth as a result. My face showed my displeasure, but I nonetheless retreated back a few large jumps.

The man gave a single nod of approval before glaring at Orochimaru. "I'll kill you now and correct my past mistake!"

How could you lie in this situation? You are known as the Professor, not the Liar, I thought solemnly, but didn't act any further.

"Let's go!" Hokage-sama yelled as he grabbed his partner.

"It's already too late!" The man with purple markings on his face exclaimed.

The white-haired man suddenly made two kage bunshins, causing my brow to furrow.

This wasn't in the plan, I thought with confusion.

"Ha... You've really grown old... To think you'd shorten your own lifespan out of impatience," Orochimaru said with a smirk.

"It... It can't be that you...!" Enma trailed off as I looked to it with the utmost worry.

His two kage bunshins suddenly rushed away, causing me to internally fret.

I decided to just stay put before watching the old man make nine handsigns.

Mi. I. Hitsuji. U. Inu. Ne. Tori. Uma. Mi.

He put his palms together once again as he were praying.

"The order of the seals... There's no mistaking it, that Sarutobi... He's going to use that jutsu!" The summoning exclaimed.

I dropped my wrist and asked, "What jutsu? I don't understand."

"Get back!" The monkey yelled, causing me to jolt away from Hokage-sama.

I didn't see anything, but by the way Hokage-sama looked over his shoulder, there was obviously something there. I looked closely at the air with narrowed eyes, but the object still escaped my vision.

"It's already too late, no matter what you do. I've won. Konoha is going to be demolished!" The snake announced. Good thing he wasn't betting on that.

"Konohagakure is my home! The Hokage is one who continues to act as the main pillar of the house, protecting it! He's the one who carried the Will of Fire, entrusted with it... It won't be that easy for you!" Hokage-sama retaliated.

Orochimaru put his hands together before casting a genjutsu to make the area dark.

I released a small sound of annoyance before closing my eyes. I brought up my left hand and thought of dispelling the genjutsu via a burst of chakra. Thankfully, I managed to break the genjutsu just before seeing a blade heading straight for my chest. I dodged to my right out of instinct and cursed upon getting another slash to my left bicep, only that one was deep enough to make my left arm useless.

Yellow eyes filled with an odd sort of bloodlust stared at me as I continued to move to my right.

I stared sight back as the man continued to lunge forwards, his blade allowing the red of my blood to spread from the speed it was being hit by due to the sharp thrust.

Time passed by in slow motion as the two of us maintained eye-contact. Neither of us could seem to break the trance that had captured us.

It's a good thing Enma was around. With a single punch, he had managed to destroy the mud clone's head.

I blinked once before landing on my feet. I released a small noise of annoyance at the useless state of my arms. Nevertheless, I turned my gaze to the leader of Konohagakure.

Hokage-sama was holding his bleeding left arm. "To me, Konoha isn't just an organization... Every year, there are a lot of shinobi born and raised in Konohagakure... They live... fight... to protect the village... And to protect what's precious to them, they will go to their death... Even if we are not related by blood, those of the village like these are... to me, my most precious... most important... family!"

My eyes widened at the declaration before my heart began to squeeze itself painfully. My feet began to move to my dropped tantō, and I watched Orochimaru and Hokage-sama stand face to face.

The snake laughed cruelly at his previous master. "Well then, I'll break you in half, the main pillar, that is, and that'll destroy the house, Konohagakure."

The old man smirked at that. "Hmph! Even if you were to kill me, the beam won't break! I'm the man who inherited the Will of Fire, the will of Shodaime-sama and Nidaime-sama... I am the Sandaime Hokage! No matter how much you target Konohagakure, there will be a new Hokage who'll inherit my will and become the pillar to protect the house of Konoha!"

I knelt down next to my tantō as tears began to form in my eyes. I would know that kind of death speech anywhere, especially since I've heard a similar thing more than once in my life. I dipped my face into the shallow water before my teeth gripped the handle of my tantō tightly.

Hokage-sama folded his hands together, leaving only his index fingers remaining upright. "Orochimaru! I'll show you a special jutsu from now that even you don't know about! Take this! Fūin Jutsu: Shiki Fūjin!"

"A jutsu I am unfamiliar with..." Orochimaru muttered to himself before smiling widely.

I don't sense anything, I noted before my eyes narrowed at the snake bastard.

"Please do show it to me, this so-called jutsu..." Orochimaru requested before attacking Hokage-sama enough to make him fall onto his ass. "What the matter...? Do you intend to let me kill you bit by bit as I toy with you? Please hurry up and present that jutsu to me."

Hey, fuck you, I thought bitterly while returning to my feet, my arms dangling lifelessly as I slouched down a bit.

Hokage-sama suddenly jolted forwards before blood ran down his chin from his mouth. What the hell was he doing?!

"What's wrong? You're looking rather unsteady on your feet..." The man trying to ruin my sister's love life noted aloud as if everyone else were blinder than anything else on the damn planet.

Hokage-sama didn't reply, but more blood began to pour down his chin. "...You treat even the lives if your subordinates so lightly..." Tears began to come from his eyes, signalling how his heart had begun to break.

"'The lives of your subordinates'"?! How long do you intend to keep spouting such nonsense?!" Orochimaru snapped.

The Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, his tears not stopping at all. He reached his hand out and yelled, "Come Enma!"

The monkey summoning quickly threw itself into the old man's grasp.

Hokage-sama glared down at his enemy with a rage I had never seen from him before. He suddenly jumped down at a fast speed while swinging the kongō form of Enma down at his opponent.

Orochimaru quickly pulled up Kusanagi and parried the attack.

The two began to exchange blows so fast, my eyes barely kept up.

Suddenly, Kusanagi was forced from Orochimaru's hands, leaving the snake bastard without his precious blade.

Enma's hand came out of the pike and reached out for Orochimaru, only to be bound up by four snakes that came from the bastard's sleeve. "Shit! You...!"

The Hokage ducked below his summoning and lunged forwards, grabbing onto the shoulders of his former student. "This is the end!"

The black-haired man released a small noise of displeasure before his eyes widened in horror. He suddenly pointed his right index and middle finger at his blade, and it rose into the air.

My eyes widened as the two demanded that each other die. Before I knew what was happening, a sharp pain filled the right side of my chest. My teeth tightly gripped the tantō still in my mouth before blood began to spill out past the handle. I coughed, only to have pain fill my chest around the area that had a sword sticking through it. I furrowed my brow before glaring up at Orochimaru.

He glared right back at me, though he surprisingly also had a pained expression. "Why... did you jump in the way?"

I forced a chuckle out before managing to raise up my left hand a bit and showed off my most sacred weapon, my middle finger.

He was not happy with that response, but he shouldn't have asked such a stupid question in the first place. He shakily brought up his hands and made a handsign

"This jutsu... You know..." Hokage-sama managed to say with a smirk despite the obvious pain he was in, "In exchange for this jutsu to work, you hand your soul over to death. It's a fūin jutsu you pay for with your life... There's no need to avoid anything... I'll die anyway! Once the fūin is completed, my soul will be consumed simultaneously... It's the jutsu of the hero who once upon a time, saved this village... with this jutsu, from how... you'll die as well!"

"You mean this was the jutsu that sealed even the kyuubi?!" Orochimaru realized, causing my eyes to widen drastically.

So the seal that will appear...! I need to do research on it immediately. After the bridge incident, we can't allow for that fox to take over again. Once I know that the seal is okay, Uzumaki-kun will be free to use the kyuubi's chakra as he wishes, I thought seriously as my shoulders slouched only to have pain shoot through my upper body.

"Yes..." The old man answered, "I'll drag your soul out of your body soon... and seal you...!"

The snake looked alarmed as he failed to do anything but stand there. It was as if he couldn't get his body to respond.

"You too... should be able to see it about now... Your soul is about halfway out too, so..." The Sarutobi trailed off before changing the topid just slightly. "With this jutsu... the one whose soul is sealed will suffer for all eternity in the belly of the Shinigami, never gaining release... The one who is sealed and the one who preformed the seal... Their souls will mingle, hating each other and battling the other for all eternity..."

The snake suddenly jolted and yelled in horror, "What is that?!" Whatever he saw was clearly scaring and provided an obvious death to the one who wished to be immortal. "Don't be foolish! You old fart... I'm not going go down so quietly!"

Another gush of blood came from my mouth as the sword in my chest was suddenly jerked forwards, causing me to move as well. I dug my heels into the shingles as tears came to my eyes from the pain. Don't let him get this sword anywhere near Hokage-sama. Come on, Ren! You can accomplish a task as simple as that, can't you?!

"Damn you," Orochimaru spat at me before suddenly turning his fingers.

I staggered back as the sword withdrew from my body. I managed to steady myself as more tears came from my eyes. Damn it. I just have to- I nearly dropped to my knees upon seeing the blade pierce through Hokage-sama's chest.

Enma had, apparently, grabbed ahold of the blade before it could pierce all the way through. However, even that summoning had to know, just as I had, that the kind, old man's jutsu was going to suffer as a result.

"Hurry up and... die!" Orochimaru demanded like the monster he was.

Let's see if monsters can beat out demons... I release a loud growl as my right shoulder dropped down lower than my left. My head hung down as my right foot extended back. Then, without another thought, I ran past the two men. Once I reached Orochimaru's back, I swerved around before shoving my tantō to the back where my left shoulder had been aiming. I could feel the satisfying way my blade pierced through the chest of Orochimaru as retaliation.

"Heh, I can really see why you picked up the nickname you did, Ren," Hokage-sama noted with a smirk in his tone.

I gave a small grunt in reply, my position not changing in the slightest. I didn't want Orochimaru to escape when we were this close to defeating him for good.

The four of us remained in place while Hokage-sama and Orochimaru struggled for power over their rather precarious situation. Neither of us budged much, and so we remained in a silent deadlock for a long while.

Finally, the leader of Konohagakure said, "Looks like... I don't have enough strength left to pull all of your soul out..."

"Could you please die already... Sarutobi-sensei?" The snake pleaded, causing my glare directed at the spot my tantō pierced through to narrow even more.

I put more pressure on my blade, causing Orochimaru to release a pained noise.

"Your ambitions... end here!" The man with liver spots on his face yelled.

"My ambition is at an end...? That is said a lot... in these types of circumstances..." The S-Rank criminal retorted.

"Good, it's begun the separation process," the armored male noted before releasing several pained noises.

That sure got the former Konoha ninja riled up. "My ambition will not end! You will die here!"

"Your ambition won't affect the village any longer...!" Hokage-sama replied, just as angered.

"Sh...!" Orochimaru began panting desperately from the pain that was surely filling him to the very core. "You've grown old. You're the Sandaime Hokage, do you have the strength to rescue the village? Look around you... I've ordered my subordinates, the Sunagakure shinobi, to come and infiltrate the village. Your Konoha shinobi will be annihilated down to the women and children... Konohagakure will crumble!"

I grinned despite the pain before chuckling. "You fool..."

"What was that?" That damn traitor growled at me.

"You should know, Orochimaru, not to take the shinobi of this village lightly," my precious leader answered for me. "Konoha's shinobi are all protecting the village... They fight with all their life! True strength is not in mastery of ninjutsu. I was never an to teach you... When they are protecting something important, that's when a shinobi's true strength appears..."

"...A boring speech..." The snake sassed, almost making me stop to applaud his audacity.

The old man gave a hum, mirth in his tone. "This is good. I don't feel like letting you off now. For you who is obsessed with jutsu, this is the appropriate punishment. To steal all of your jutsu!"

"What?!" Orochimaru screamed before the Sarutobi gave a war cry. "Can't be...! Stop it!"

Hokage-sama suddenly released Orochimaru, causing me to pull my tantō out and jump back a few steps. "Sealed!"

Orochimaru looked down at his shaking hands with horror. "My arms won't move..."

"You won't be able to use either arm. You won't be able to use them because both are completely sealed... You no longer have any jutsu," Sandaime-sama explained to his former student.

I watched with wide eyes as Orochimaru's arms dropped uselessly to his side before turning a disgusting color - the color of rotten flesh.

"You were unsuccessful at destroying Konoha," the grandfather-figure to all pointed out.

"You old man! Give me back my arms!" The enraged man demanded.

The man with blood still running down his chin smiled. "You're foolish, Orochimaru. They've both been completely destroyed... My apprentice, we'll meet in another world."

"Your light is blown out, old man! All this! All this! My jutsu...!" Orochimaru continued on, his mind still not comprehending what happened.

"The place the leaves dance... The fires burn..." Hokage-sama closed his eyes, a content expression covering his face. He then fell to his right, clearly deceased at that point in time.

Nevertheless, I used the hiraishin jutsu no teleport to him and extend a leg out. I caught him in his fall and allowed his body to ease to the ground.

"This... This shitty old man! What's so funny?!" The former student shrieked.

I lifted my head up slightly before stepping in front of my leader. I straightened my body up and stood proud, my Will of Fire burning with an outstanding brightness. "You've lost," I managed to say around the hilt of my tantō. My eyes narrowed before I commanded, "Leave."

Orochimaru released a loud scream of pain and defeat.

"Orochimaru-sama!" One of his damn underlings yelled.

"The plan ends here... The barrier is no longer needed... We're heading back..." The criminal growled out while glaring at me.

I smirked as the barrier dropped, my eyes narrowing as his four underlings grabbed ahold of their leader. I stood up straight before my three kage bunshins used the hiraishin jutsu to appear by Orochimaru with their tantōs drawn.

"Shi-" Before those henchmen had the time to finish their curses, my doppelgangers stabbed Orochimaru with absolutely no mercy with their perfectly working arms. They each hit important pressure points that were sure to leave Orochimaru with nothing but unbearable pain until he transferred into a new body. They then disappeared before anything else could happen to them.

I spat my out tantō out of my mouth and allowed blood to pour down my chin. With nothing but victory in my very being, I stated, "Payback has been served, you pedophilic, snake bitch." I chuckled as I began to fall backwards, my body finally having enough of my constant bullshit.

Instead of hitting the harsh shingles, two warm arms caught me and brought me into a kind embrace. "You never learn, do you?"

I gave Kakashi-sensei a closed-eye smile.

He released an exasperated sigh before pulling me closer to his chest. He held me with his right arm before pulling his headband down with his left hand. His black eye moved from me to the deceased man no less than a few meters away.

"I'm sorry," I apologized while looking away from my sensei.

"You knew ahead of time, didn't you? He knew as well, and he made his choice so he could die with no regrets," the jônin explained softly as more shinobi began to crowd around their dead leader.

"Still, I-"

"There's nothing more you can do. For now, you must seek immediate medical attention," Kakashi-sensei said as he put me bridal style into his embrace. He stood up and was ready to jump off, but I released a noise of distress.

I looked down at my tantō before turning my gaze to my sensei pleadingly.

"Hey, Genma. Can you pick that tantō up?" The sharingan-wielder asked the brunette who was the closest to said weapon.

The man with a senbon between his lips looked around for a second before spotting my blade. He picked it up and inspected it with an impressed smile.

I leaned up, confusing my sensei until he saw the sheath on my back. "Um, can you...?"

"Hm? Oh, right. Of course," the brown-eyed man mumbled before carefully sheathing my tantō.

I closed my eyes upon hearing the ring and fully relaxed in the lighting-user's grasp.

"Poor kid, having to deal with this because of his abilities," Kurenai-sensei muttered as she stood by her boyfriend Asuma-sensei.

Even though the man was obviously grieving the loss of his father, he still muttered out a soft, "Yeah."

"He can still hear you," Kakashi-sensei pointed out before taking his leave, rushing me directly towards the nearest medical nin standby point.

I chuckled softly before releasing a few pained coughs from my angered lungs.

"Alright, no more using your lungs for anything but breathing. No talking, no chuckling, no dramatic sighs," the silverenette demanded while jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

I would have raised up a thumb, but my arms definitely needed some healing before they could move like that anytime soon.

"Do you remember how Zabuza died?" The masked man asked out of the blue, causing me to crack open my right eye. "The way you stabbed Orochimaru in the back reminded me of the way Zabuza killed Gatô."

I opened my right eye all the way and stared at the passing sky blankly, my mind going back to two months ago. I silently played back the memory of Zabuza running through the crowd before beheading Gatô. I eventually smiled as I closed my eye and just rested my head against my sensei's jônin vest. Good times, good times...

"Oh, and Sakura went with Naruto, Shikamaru, and Pakkun. I'm sure she's safe," Kakashi-sensei said, causing me to raise a brow at the one unfamiliar name. He seemed to notice and explained, "Pakkun is one of my ninken summonings."

I gave a miniscule nod, but I'm sure Kakashi-sensei caught the reply.

The man made a large jump before landing on the ground. "Haruno Ren, as expected."

"We were beginning to worry he died," one of the medical shinobi joked, only to release a small squeak of alarm shortly after.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, right. Now even Kami-sama, himself, can't kill me."

The man holding me cleared his throat before saying with a lightly dark undertone, "Ren."

I gave a sheepish smile in response, not daring to open my eyes to see the death glare I was most likely receiving.

With a heavy sigh, the jônin handed me over to the nins before ruffling my hair. "I'll be back soon, so don't have a panic attack while I'm gone."

I gave another miniscule nod and received a head pat as a reward. I was then left by my lonesome with the shinobi doctors. I, not wanting to deal with my iatrophobia, decided to just jump into the sweet, sweet embrace of death- I mean sleep.

They're basically the same thing, right? Death with benefits.

However, just before I could be fully hugged by death, my right eye cracked open to see the blue sky and clouds. And as my blurry vision faded to black, I could have sworn I saw a very familiar crow flying in the sky overhead.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four

It had been two days since the battle where Hokage-sama and several others lost their lives in the fight between Orochimaru and Konoha. It was raining as many shinobi from all different rankings stood and watched the ceremony.

I was lucky that I was allowed to come, especially considering the fact that my arms were still unusable. They were heavily bandaged and held to my chest in slings. My chest was also tightly bound in bandages since I was literally stabbed through my lung two days ago. The nurses said it would probably be another week or so before they could be properly healed enough for me to start up being a shinobi again, but only if I took extra care with every action I performed.

My parents had a small meltdown upon learning that I had a worse injury from a month prior I never told them about. They were going to have a much worse reaction once they found out I was planning on becoming an ANBU member one day. Those two didn't want me in any more serious danger, or at least not for a long while.

My sister gave a small sigh besides me, snapping me from my thoughts. She had such a sad look on her face that reached deep into her eyes. My twin took the death of the old man hard, just like everyone else.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a very kind person with an extraordinary Will of Fire, one that would burn on in the hearts of everyone else loyal to Konoha. Even though he did die two days ago, he managed to save the place and people he cared for so much. If he could have even that much, it was worth it to him.

I glanced up towards the Hokage Monument where a large crack ran diagonally across Sandaime-sama's face. I frowned softly at the omen that appeared three-fourths of the way through the battle. I quickly pushed negative thoughts away, however, and turned my eyes up towards the sky.

Dark, grey clouds extended out for as far eyes could see. They released large raindrops that got anyone soaking wet if they stood outside for more than ten seconds at a time. It appeared that even the heavens wept from the death of such a great man.

I slowed my head to tilt back as far as it could and allowed my eyes to rest on the black umbrella over my head. I listened to the raindrops hit the black material before allowing my head to go in its natural position.

The only reason I had been allowed to attend the ceremony was because my sister offered to hold an umbrella over me, and subsequently herself since it was big enough. The nurses didn't want my bandages to get wet and aggravate my wounds. They were so overbearing...

Sakura softly called out my name, causing me to look towards her with a raised brow. Her green eyes were still directed towards the center photo of Hokage-sama, and they were filled to the brim with unshed tears. Her free hand hesitantly reached out towards me and gripped the loose, black shirt I wore.

"Sakura..." I said, catching her attention. I looked forwards with an emotionless expression, my body not betraying my locked away sadness. "It's better not to remember how he died, but rather how he lived."

The pinkenette was clearly confused by my words, but I wasn't going to give her the answers that time.

I gave a small sigh as I shifted my weight a bit, causing pain to shoot through my arms. I winced at the sensation, but was revealed that my nerves definitely still worked. It would just take a little bit to get my muscles working again as well.

My twin tightened her grip on my sleeveless top before adjusting the umbrella so it wouldn't drop water down on the people behind us.

We stood in the front row, all the way to the right with other genin.

I ignored her concern and turned my attention back to the old man's smiling face. I looked into the black eyes of the picture, my mind drifting back to a time many years ago.

~

_"Ren, stop glaring at the door."_

_I snapped out of my trance, but I was still furious with the man that was waiting and hiding just on the other side of that door. I turned my gaze back to the old man sitting across from me and kept my arms crossed tightly in front of my chest. I tapped my left bicep with my right index finger, my anger slowly building up inside of me once again. I was going to lash out once more if I wasn't distracted thoroughly._

_The white-haired individual knew that and cleared his throat before folding his hands together. "Ren, do you have anything to say in your defense?"_

_"How do you even know it was me?" I asked defiantly._

_The Sarutobi raised up an eyebrow rather high._

_Even at that young age, I could still sense when someone gave me an 'Oh really?' expression. "You take that back!" I yelled angrily at the stupid old fart while pointing dramatically._

_The white brow raised up even higher before the old man just sighed. "Ren, your chakra was all over his apartment."_

_I frowned while glaring into the distance. **Fucking sensory assholes. I hate those guys.**_

_"Why did you do this, Ren?" Hokage-sama questioned._

_I clicked my tongue before snapping, "He deserved it."_

_The leader of Konoha ran his hands down his face while muttering, "What could he have possibly done to make you sneak into his apartment, poison all of his foods and drinks, booby trap every centimeter of his home, cast genjutsu that made him things so horrible he refused to tell anyone, and then finally try to ambush him and kill him via heart attack?"_

_I didn't reply, because put like that, I sounded like a bit of an asshole._

_The man who was nicknamed as "The Professor" picked up a sheet of paper and then flipped it around so it'd face me._

_Clearly, that fuckface Mizuki had already told his side of the story._

_"Mizuki doesn't have the qualities to be a teacher. He can't even correct a history paper properly," I stated with crossed arms._

_The old man turned the paper around and began to read my answers over carefully. His black eyes seemed to pick up pace the more they read. His white brows furrowed deeply before he finally reached the end of the page. He flipped the paper over and placed his tightly clenched hands onto the surface of it. "Where did you that information?"_

_"Library," I answered honestly._

_"Where?" He pressed._

_"Depends on the week." I explained with a small shrug before leaning closer to him. "Just between you, me, and those ANBU dudes overhead, this weirdo comes in every week to the library and slips in small folders of information regarding the history of Konoha."_

_"Does he ever come back to collect them?" Hokage-sama asked softly._

_"He used to, but stopped since I would always take them from the library and never return them," I replied before pointing a thumb over my shoulder at my house. "They're all under my bed if you want to get a guy to collect them."_

_The powerful man raised his right hand quickly before allowing it to settle back down on the table. "When will he be coming back next?"_

_"Five days," I answered immediately, "He'll show up next Tuesday some time between the start of the academy and lunchtime."_

_"Hm... That's rather accurate for a child your age," the old man praised as he sat back._

_"I'm an accurate person," I boasted proudly before pointing to the reason I was in his office at all. "So, do I get a higher score?"_

_"No," he said, causing me to frown deeply. "That's not the materials you were taught in the academy, so your grades must remain the same. Also, you shall be receiving a new sensei since you traumatized your previous one. Please don't repeat this again."_

_"No promises," I mumbled under my breath while sliding off of my seat. I gave a half-assed bow before turning heel._

_"Children these days are so dangerous," Hokage-sama muttered._

_"I prefer the term selectively ruthless," I corrected before taking my leave from his office via the door like a normal person._

_"That's even worse..." He commented before sighing deeply._

~

I gave a deep sigh of my own before glancing over at Iruka-sensei.

The man was comforting Konohamaru with a very saddened expression. He finally broke down and hugged the boy to his chest. As a person who cared deeply for the children of the village, he, of course, would be distraught over a student of his crying his little heart out.

I listened to the sobs of Hokage-sama's grandson, allowing my mind to once again drift back in time. However, the memory I uncovered was one that I hadn't really thought of in many years...

~

_I, soaking wet, gently lead my sister, whom was also soaking wet, through the streets to our home._

_My poor twin was sobbing uncontrollably as she had nearly experienced death earlier that day. She, a mere girl who couldn't swim, was pushed down a ravine into a large, quick-moving river by a boy a bit older than her._

_I was furious at the boy, but I couldn't allow Sakura to drown. Therefore, I left him behind and quickly made my way down the ravine, stumbling and falling several times. I was pretty cut up, but for the sake of my precious person, I endured it. I jumped into the river to save her, and got just as wet as she had. I had to save her, and that was my only priority._

_Unbeknownst to me, a man who was walking by saw what happened and beat me down to the place where my sister had been dragged off to. He caught her and gently placed her down on the side of the ravine where water could not reach. He then grabbed ahold of me and brought me to my sister's side._

_I was going to thank the old guy, but my sobbing twin demanded my full attention. I immediately began to fret over her well-being and tried to ask questions, but she just kept on crying. So, being the big brother I was, I put her on my back and began to carry her up the ravine's side._

_The guy who had helped my sister get out of the river grabbed ahold of the two of us and began to jump up the side of the rocky slope. He was definitely a shinobi, but the robes he wore automatically gave away his ranking. Yes, it was **the** Hokage of Konohagakure. When he made it to the top, he set us down and began to ask us questions, only for me to ignore him and continue on towards our house._

_Sakura suddenly slid from my back and began to walk next to me, probably uncomfortable by the wetness of her new clothes that had been torn us along her fall._

_I rubbed her back soothingly as I lead her towards the general direction of our home. I was thankful she still had enough sense to her to guide me in the right direction since I was the epitome of directional challengedness._

_We soon made it to the street we lived on, and Sakura had calmed down a bit by then. She was still crying, of course, but it wasn't as heart-wrenching as before._

_"Once we get inside, go take a warm bath and get on some dried clothes," I told my sister, earning a small nod. I lead her inside and stopped in the front hall. I helped her take her sandals off and then kicked mine off haphazardly. I didn't bother to wait for the old man who had followed after my younger twin and I._

_"Oh my goodness! What happened?!" Okaa-chan exclaimed as Sakura passed by the kitchen._

_Hokage-sama stepped forwards and states, "Your daughter happened to be pushed and subsequently fell down into a river. Rest assured the boy will be punished for his actions with supervision."_

_I grit my teeth at the wording, but said nothing more as I went upstairs to get changed. I dried myself off and threw on a new pair of clothes before heading out to my favorite place to clear my mind - the Hokage Monument, or more specifically, Nidaime-sama's head. I sat there with my legs pulled up to my chest, my chin resting on my knees. I stared down blankly at the village below, my arms tightening their grip around my legs._

_The breeze gently ruffled my hair as scattered clouds danced across the blue of the sky. It would have been a perfect day if the previous incident hadn't occurred. But life had a shitty habit of kicking people down sometimes._

_I had no idea how much time passed before I felt a presence behind me. I looked over my shoulder and scowled a bit at the old man before realizing he was holding up a plate of sweets, my favorite at the time._

_"You mother was getting worried and asked me to coax you home with these daifuku," the Sarutobi explained while stretching the plate out towards me._

_I snatched the plate away and began to shove one into my mouth. I took a large bite out of it before my eyes lit up in joy. I had strawberry daifuku, my absolute favorite treat at the time._

_Yes, this happened before I was introduced to Itachi-senpai and subsequently the amazing thing which were dangos. Still, strawberry daifukus are my second favorite sweet/snack food of all time._

_The old guy chuckled and walked past me to stand close to the edge of the rocky head._

_I watched him silently while continuously stuffing my face with the sweets made from rice, anko paste, and strawberries._

_"Haruno Ren..." The Sandaime Hokage called out after I finished off the plate._

_"Yeah?" I asked rudely as I stood up and went to his side, the plate held tightly to my chest._

_"You seemed quite angry after I told your mother what happened," he noted aloud._

_"Why wouldn't I?" I snapped angrily, my hands clenching into fists. "She's my little twin sister. She could have died, and all he gets is supervision."_

_"What would you suggest as punishment?" The Sarutobi inquired._

_I remained silent for a moment, silently deliberating my preferred method of punishment. I finally looked up at the man blankly and stated, "I would want him to experience the same cold and suffocating terror Sakura went through."_

_The old guy looked disturbed to a minor degree. "Why?"_

_I snorted. "To teach him a lesson."_

_He raised up a white brow. "And what lesson would that be?"_

_My eyes narrowed at the village down below. "All actions have consequences. Perhaps next time, he will think of those consequences before doing bad actions."_

_"...That's a rather dangerous suggestion, one that could very well strike fear into this village," Hokage-sama pointed out._

_I didn't reply, and instead pushed that notion aside. I would have my way no matter what._

_And that night, I did. It became known as the Black Lotus Incident, and many citizens lived in fear for a small period after since the culprit was never brought to justice. I, just as that boy before me, only got a minor slap on the wrist and was threatened with supervision and further action if I were to do something similar again._

_The old man would always chat with me about once a month for the next year and a half to make sure I was keeping my rage in check. He soon began to loosen my reigns after I sealed away my undesirable parts. He allowed me to do as I please after I entered the academy since I was focusing my energy on becoming a shinobi._

_Even still, I would stop by every so often to talk about life just as I had many years ago. We grew close as two people would with that interaction and became more than mere leader and child. We became friends, if you will._

_It was a bond I carried close, though I did so without the knowledge of others as the adults would scold me for taking up his precious time while the other children would mock me for spending time with such an old man. It was a bond that I wished to protect, even as it was threatened by a power that could easily sever the bond. It was because of that bond, however, that I even risked death to protect._

_It was a bond that I allowed to be severed because of my lack of strength..._

~

I felt tears prick my eyes at the realization I was so helpless in that big world with foes around every corner. I managed to blink those tears away before anyone could notice them and instead focused on the beautiful ceremony being held for the loss of such a beautiful life.

"Iruka-sensei..." Uzumaki-kun suddenly called out, catching my attention. "What are humans? Is life just that simple?"

The black-eyed man stared silently at his former student before turning his gaze to the picture of Sarutobi Hiruzen. "What a person dies... It doesn't matter if it's past, present, or future - they lose everything. He died fighting in a mission - death caught him unaware because life was that simple."

I frowned at the sensei's words, not believing the bullcrap he was spouting. _He **died** because he chose to go out on his terms. He **died** because he was a great man that chose the lives of these villagers over his own. He **died** to seal away Orochimaru's greatest weapons. It's not that life is simple, as it most certainly is not, but rather that death is simple._

"It's like a dream," Iruka-sensei continued, "It's all the same even if you haven't reached your goal, but everyone knows that the most important thing is to die for a cause. Family, friend, lovers, and other villagers: to me, those are the most important people... We trust each other, help each other from the day we're born to the day we die. We start to feel that love is the most important and... that kind of relationship takes time to develop... and trust... Anyone with this headband on knows... because it's very important..."

I opened my mouth silently, but paused. I decided to just close my mouth and not spread my ideals that seemed to clash against the older male's.

Kakashi-sensei, who was to my diagonal right one row behind, reached over and put his hand on my head. "Just say it and get it off your chest."

I looked down at the ground for a few seconds before turning my gaze to Iruka-sensei. "I think you're right to a degree. People die all the time, and dreams die the same. That's a simple fact. Life, however, is much more complicated. Love is indeed the most important thing, and it does take time to love. It's because we develop special bonds of love with the people around us that we continue on. We fight for those bonds every day, whether we know it or not. Even those without these hitai-ate headbands do so. The difference between us and those who don't wear them doesn't come from the knowledge of bonds, but rather how far we're willing to go to keep our precious bonds, our precious people, safe."

Iruka-sensei contemplated my words carefully, judging them based on his own personal beliefs. Finally, he gave a soft, sorrowful smile to me. "You really are the smartest student I've ever had, Ren."

I gave a forced nod of praise, but I really didn't appreciate it since that knowledge should have been common to all shinobi.

"Yeah, you certainly do have some good students," Kakashi-sensei praised just as he did back in Nami no Kuni. He ruffled my hair, much to my annoyance.

I scolded deeply and glared at the silver-haired jônin. "You better fix that. I'm not going back to that hellhole people call a hospital and deal with those demons lecturing me for "being too rough with my head"."

"Ah, sorry," the man apologized as he began to straighten my hair out carefully.

"You better be," I grumbled under my breath angrily.

"But..." Uzumaki-kun objected, catching everyone's attention, "...death is still painful."

"The Hokage wouldn't think it's painful," Kakashi-sensei told the blonde, earning great confusion from the kyūbi's host. "Because we both agree people should not be hurt for no reason."

I cringed at his use of double negatives, but didn't bother to correct his grammar.

"But... it's no use even if you do understand," the black-eyed male said.

Uzumaki-kun smiled. "Right...! Because not knowing is better than knowing..."

I looked between the two guys with the utmost confusion. "What fucking drugs are you on? It's always better to know. Not knowing creates thousands of what-if scenarios that won't leave you a moment's peace."

"Perhaps that is the case for someone so driven for the truth, but not for Naruto," the former ANBU member whispered, causing me to pause and then nod in understanding. "In any case, the rain is finally letting up."

I gave a small hum of approval before just silently watching the end of the service.

By the time it finished, the rain had ceased and revealed the sun which had formerly been hidden away.

Sakura closed the umbrella and walked with Kakashi-sensei, Uchiha, and I. She, like the rest of us, had to pause and wait for Uzumaki-kun to stop chatting with Iruka-sensei over whatever trivial bullshit they were talking about.

Finally, the little blonde moron began to run towards us while waving to the brunette. "Bye Iruka-sensei!"

"Bye," the man replied with a somewhat saddened smile.

The boy with whisker-like markings on his cheeks finally made it and yelled, "Let's go get ramen!"

"How about dango?" I suggested with a small frown. "We always have ramen."

Kakashi-sensei gave a very sarcastic laugh before gently holding my shoulders. "That was funny, Ren. It really was. You're going back to the hospital."

I frowned, but didn't struggle as he and the rest of my team escorted me back to the prison of demon doctors and nurses. I was brought back to my room, and Kakashi-sensei lingered after the other three left. "I won't ditch, so you don't have to babysit me," I said with great annoyance clear in every aspect of my being.

"Yes, I know. But just in case..." He patted my head and gave a closed-eye smile. "If you behave, I'll bring you your usual order of dango from the place you took TenzÅ too. Sound good?"

I brightened up, not at all upset with that damn wood-moving asshole for spilling me special place to Kakashi-sensei. I nodded enthusiastically before laying down in my bed like a good patient.

"Good. I'll be back later." He then took his leave, abandoning me in the place that held several of my fears.

I waited patiently for several hours, only to realize he wasn't coming as the visiting hours came to an end. I was rather disappointed as I curled myself into a ball, my covered pulled over my head to block out any light that would otherwise assault my eyes. I had just about fallen asleep when someone suddenly placed a hand on my side. I jerked awake and shoved my covers off so I could have a face to the pervert in the hospital. I scolded upon seeing the smiling face of my asshole of a sensei.

"Sorry I'm a bit late," he apologized while sitting down on the edge of my bed. He passed along my dango to me before setting the throw-away cup of tea on my nightstand. "I didn't remember your exact order, so I had to wait for Tenzō to be free."

I looked at the man in surprise for a split-second. I expected some dumbass lie, but being given the truth was a bit... nice. I smiled softly down at my dango before looking at the man with great embarrassment. "U-um... C-could you, uh, h-help... me...?"

"Of course." He picked up one of my sticks of dango since I couldn't. "Say ah!"

I glared at him as my face practically exploded in red. I managed to shove down my pride, however, and took a more bold approach to the situation. I closed my eyes and opened my mouth, extending my tongue out slightly. "Ah~h!"

The man, without any hesitation, began to put the dango into my mouth.

I quickly bit down fiercely on the first ball that entered. Since we were sitting on a bed, I could easily feel him jolt away before shivering slightly. I smirked triumphantly as I ate my single sweet, my eyes opening to show off my slight sadism.

Clearly getting the hint, Kakashi-sensei didn't push his luck and fed me normally before assisting me with my drink. He then cleaned up the evidence and bid me farewell before jumping out of the window. He stuck to the hospital wall and closed the window behind him before really jumping away.

I chuckled softly at his departure before laying back down. I kicked my covers into a somewhat decent position and then curled into my usual ball. I fell asleep peacefully and had a restful night.


	35. Chapter Thrity-Five

I was finally free from hell! I just had to come back every week for checkup, which totally sucked! But still, I was free!

I had been released with bandaged wrapped around my forehead, chest, neck, and upper arms. I wore loose black shorts that were made of comfortable materials. My shirt was basically a virgin-killer sweater, only not actually a sweater and without the useless ribbon in the back. I also had on no shoes because shoes were for losers. Also, I totally fucked up my sandals which were pretty much my only pair of shoes. But that doesn't matter!

I was running free through the village, my mind set on one place to get some sweets. I was going to get my precious dango, even if I had to fight the Devil, himself!

Speaking of which, as I came closer to my precious dango shop, a masculine voice yelled, "I know you're not running when you just got released from the hospital!"

I gave a deep, very annoyed sigh as I slowed myself down to the agonizing pace of a fast walk. I quickly got my grin back, however, upon seeing the silvernette clearly waiting all by his lonesome. "You're actually waiting on someone?"

His black eye narrowed slightly, and two emotions clashed fiercely inside his mind. He was, of course, offended by the jab, but he was also very concerned about the smirk that practically split my face in half. "Yes, I am."

My grin somehow widened. "Oh, did your date stand you up? I bet he di~d!"

"He?" The jônin repeated questioningly.

"Eh? Don't tell me you haven't let him down! How cruel?!" I exclaimed as I brought my hand up to hide my smirk, adding to the smugness I was radiating in alarming amounts.

"Whatever," he said as he decided to get back into his lazy bravado. "I don't even swing that way, and you know it."

I saw my opportunity and struck with deadly accuracy. "Ah, that's right! You swing for those fictional women from your porn book because you couldn't get a girl even if your life depended on it!"

"Oi!" He barked with a large flush of embarrassment. "Why are you being so mean today?!"

I stuck my tongue out and mocked him as I held up both of my middle fingers. I danced around him while waving around my special weapons before deciding that I needed my dango more than I needed to mock the asshole know never once visited me in the hospital after Hokage-sama's funeral service. I mean, even Duckass visited me! In any case, I went up to the counter and asked, "May I have 20 sticks of dango please?"

The guy behind the counter, who must have been new there, looked at me with slight disturbance before placing my order. He took my money and then motioned for me to take a seat.

I nodded and swirled around, only to notice two assholes in there stupid black and red cloaks where at my table! I quickly stomped over and pointed at them furiously. "Who dares to sit at the table of the almighty-" I cut myself off when a book smacked me in the face, causing my head to snap back.

"Stop harassing other customers!" Kakashi-sensei demanded.

I released a demonic hiss before picking up the disgusting porn novel written by Jiraiya-sama himself.

"Don't you dare," the former ANBU member demanded with a somewhat worried look in that harsh onyx orb of his.

I opened the book and held half of it in my right hand as the other half was held in my left. I slowly began to pull my hands apart, thus beginning to pull the book apart as well.

The man released an unholy screech before lunging for me, catching me by surprise. He managed to snatch his book away before anything really damaging could have been done. He then proceeded to start scolding me as if he was my mother.

I was just staring blankly, letting his words go in one ear and out the other. I didn't need to take that bullshit after he was the asshole that threw the book at my face.

He seemed to realize I wasn't paying him any attention and karate chopped my head as punishment.

That started a bickering match that could rival an old married couple's.

Speaking of couples, guess which two lovebirds passed by? That's right, Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei.

I noticed them and immediately shoved my dumbass of a sensei out of the way. "Oho~! Finally get out on your first date?"

The woman from the Yūhi clan blushed and then snapped, "Idiot! Anko just asked me to pick up sweets for her."

"What a tsundere reply," I teased with another smug, shit-eating smirk. Man, I was just an asshole that day, wasn't I?

Then, the Sarutobi managed to expertly divert the conversation back to me. "What about you? What are you doing here? Are you picking up some sweets too?"

"Yeah," I replied before pointing over my shoulder at the silvernette. "But that loser is getting stood-up for a date himself."

Said loser punched my head. "I am waiting for someone, but it's not a date. Sasuke should have been here by now."

"Hah! He's gotten so used to be late, he's probably not going to show up for another half-hour!" I joked while pointing at the man known for his extreme tardiness.

"Why are you being like this today?" The jônin asked, finally done with my bullshit.

"I have been trapped inside of that hellhole forever! Now, free from the shackles of medical professionals, I am reenergized!" My hands clenched into fists as a fire erupted from my soul. "My SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH is at full throttle!"

The man actually recoiled and looked ready to bring out his own cross to protect him from the amazing power that had filled me to the brim. "You're freaking out everyone here. Go do your weird springtime of youth somewhere else with a lot less people." He made this shooing motion that had me ready to smack his hands, but I instead flipped the man off and went to get a box for my dango.

I was able to get the 20 sticks to go and then left so I could stuff my face without the criticisms of the asshole. I ate about seventeen of them and threw those seventeen sticks across the river.

They were perfectly aimed and landed in a tree trunk, slowly creating the symbol for Konohagakure. But that little project would have to wait.

As the two men from the dango place got closer, I threw a stick over my shoulder and had it impale the building right beside the smaller of the two. "Been a while, huh?"

"Indeed," he agreed, not at all flinching at my little attack. "I didn't think you'd recognize me."

"Of course, I knew it was you," I said before taking another few bites of my dango. I then threw that stick across the river and into the tree trunk. "If you wish to blend into an environment, you must not draw attention to yourself. You and your friend drew attention to yourselves with the cloaks and hats. And as a rule of thumb, you should always make the enemy underestimate you. Perhaps transforming into a couple of inconspicuous villagers would have suited your infiltration mission better." I ate my final dango stick and threw it across the way, finishing my carefully targeted symbol.

"Perhaps, but I would rather not waste chakra," the teenager stated.

"Lie," I pointed out, "Your sharingan is activated. I can feel your chakra from here. You're ready for a fight."

"Ren, what is this about?" Itachi finally asked as he began to approach me, his partner tagging along like some sort of lost puppy.

"You're not here for Sasuke, right?" I asked as I stood up properly.

"He's too weak to bother with. He lacks hatred," the Uchiha replied with full honesty.

I snorted. "He has so much hatred, I bet he's going to want to destroy Konoha in a few years." I then sighed and turned my head to face the male, my eyes closed. "Well, whatever, I guess. You wouldn't care since you left." I brushed some of my hair back, only for it to fall back into its original placement. "In any case, you're here for the kyūbi, aren't you?"

He didn't reply, but it was fairly obvious I had hit the target.

"You see, the thing about that is, you can't have him," I stated boldly as I fully turned my body to face him. Kaimon. Kyūmon. My two gates activated as my hands clenched themselves into fists. "That little idiot is mine. You can't have what's mine."

"As impressive as that chakra is, you still don't stand a chance against me," Itachi pointed out.

"Who says I need to?" I questioned with a grin, my shoulders shrugging dramatically as Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei finally caught up. "Besides, so long as I don't look into your eyes, I won't get trapped by the spell of the sharingan. That's one handicap for you, eh, Itachi?"

"Ren, retreat," the Sarutobi directed, causing me to immediately pout.

"Why?" I (whined like some spoilt little shit) asked politely.

"Because Kakashi would have our heads if you got hurt," Asuma-sensei answered.

"Well he can't play Okaa-san forever," I sassed, only for the man to literally pick me up under my arms and place him behind him and his date- I mean Kurenai-sensei. "Ugh!"

"It's been a while, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san," Itachi greeted while tipping up his hat a bit.

"Don't look into his eyes, and yes that is the sharingan," I stated while heading over to the railing so I could sit on it. "Also, that sword the other dude has is probably more dangerous than it looks."

The Uchiha took off his hat and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his cloak so he could stick out his left forearm like some sort of weirdo.

"Oh, wow. You're really going to use it? What a lameass." I asked lazily as I began to swing my feet back and forth.

The man with a cigarette in his mouth grinned. "Ha... There's no doubt about it... Uchiha Itachi."

The other man began to take off his hat as well. "So you're already acquainted with Itachi, huh?"

"Nooo!" I exclaimed sarcastically, my hands waving about to add to my already overdramatic response.

"Enough of the sarcastic commentary, Ren," Itachi demanded, earning two middle fingers.

"I can be as sarcastic as I want! I was given expressed permission so long as I don't end up dying from it!" I argued.

"Well I hate to be the one that has to tell you, however-"

I gave the grin of a troller that was clearly enjoying their target's reaction. "Hue hue hue hue hue... You poor, foolish Uchiha. You have no idea what kinds of power I hold. I'm no longer that stupid little shit that followed you are those many years ago."

"In any case, I should introduce myself," the unknown dude butted in, clearly impatient. He pulled his stupid hat off and said, "Hoshigaki Kisame. Now then, we've all been acquainted."

I opened my mouth to object, but paused upon the name clicking somewhere in my head. "Oh shit. It's another one of you pansy-ass swordsmen from Kirigakure. Ugh, how many of you asshole's will I have to see in my lifetime? The fucking cow bastard and his little sidekick were all I needed, dammit."

"Cow bastard?" Hoshigaki repeated questioningly.

"Momochi Zabuza," I replied with great annoying, waving the blue-skinned man off.

"Oh, him. He's weak compared to me," the guy who definitely looked like a shark boasted.

"I would certainly hope so. I broke his sword with one punch. It was fucking pathetic," I commented with a small scowl.

"Eh? You broke Kubikiribōchō with a single punch? Impressive," the white-eyed guy praised, clearly setting his sights on me to battle.

"Hn," I retorted as if I was an Uchiha. I then cracked my right eye open to see his response.

Hoshigaki's eyes slid over to their right to look at the Uchiha who had probably given that response all the time. His eyes were met with a sharp glare from Itachi, the younger male's stoic face practically screaming, 'Shut up!' With a small smirk, the blue-haired man's eyes quickly drifted back to me.

I snickered softly as I closed my eye. "You always were annoyed when I did that."

"Perhaps that's because it's your way of giving others that know of the Uchihas habits the middle finger, without raising said finger," Itachi said, his tone not betraying his stoic face.

I gave another grin as I began to kick my feet back and forth again. "And what better way to give you the finger than using your own habits against you?"

The man gave a small sigh that indicated he was also shaking his head at me.

I turned my head away and allowed my smile to drop off into a blank expression. I opened my eyes and directed them in the direction that Kakashi-sensei was taking. You really don't know how to pick up the pace, do you? Ah, but you don't know that I'm here. If you did, you'd probably go Gai-sensei levels of fast to prevent any of my "delinquency."

I tuned the world out as I tilted my head back and stared up at the sky. My chakra slowly mixed itself together to perfection in case I needed to use a certain few jutsus. Man, I really do wish Tenzō taught me more, but he was suddenly called for a mission out of the blue. And my damn bunshins didn't ask Shodaime-sama how to do other jutsus. They just talked about stupid trivial bullshit and listened to the two Senju brothers bicker. What kind of fucking moron am I? I gave a deep sigh as I closed my eyes. Well, in any case, I bet I'll learn significantly more in the next three years.

The clouds danced overhead, giving me a slightly ominous feeling at the way they tumbled about.

I turned my gaze over to the four people fighting and then fell backwards over the railing. I landed on the water's surface and quickly rushed over to the area where Kurenai-sensei was going to land after being kicked. I managed to catch her safely and then took away her kunai, marking it with my chakra seal. I then threw it towards Itachi and watched as he moved his head back. I closed my eyes before teleporting to it. I grinned wildly as I caught the blade before slicing at his head.

He moved back, but not before losing a small chunk of his hair.

I quickly used the hiraishin jutsu to teleport to the lone dango stick. I threw my kunai at Hoshigaki, causing him to move away. I pulled the stick from the side of the building, allowed chakra to surround it, and then threw it at the blue-skinned man's knee. I got a direct hit, causing him to faulted for a split-second. I used that time to teleport to the kunai, my chakra surrounding my right leg. I kicked the enemy's head as hard as I could before pushing off his shoulders. I grabbed ahold of Asuma-sensei's flak jacket as I passed by, pulling him behind me to create distance between the enemies and allies. I then threw Asuma-sensei ahead and flipped around in the air so I could land facing Hoshigaki. I landed on all fours and glanced over at Kurenai, only to see Itachi behind her.

That's when Kakashi-sensei decided to arrive, creating a kage bunshin so he could safely interfere with both mini battles. One Kakashi-sensei went behind Itachi while the other jumped in front of me, and subsequently Asuma-sensei. "Alright. That's enough, Ren."

"Took you long enough," I criticized as I stood up.

"Hatake Kakashi..." Itachi noted aloud at the newest arrival.

"Can I-"

"No," Kakashi-sensei interrupted, not bothering to look back to see my annoyed expression.

"Fine. But remember what I said in Nami no Kuni when you asked about your eye," I demanded before going back to the railing.

The jônin paused for a moment before taking up a wary fighting stance, his right eye closing to let his left sharingan one take in everything. Kami-sama, he was such a fucking moron.

I then closed my eyes and blocked out the world once again while keeping an eye on Itachi. I wanted to talk to him, to ask questions, but I couldn't do so in front of everyone else. I knew that well, and I wasn't going to fail the second-to-last mission given to me by Hokage-sama. I watched as Itachi-senpai closed his eyes and quickly got up. I teleported to Kakashi-sensei and got in front of him so he wouldn't fall victim to Itachi's ridiculously overpowered genjutsu.

Those mangekyō sharingans bore deep into my own amber eyes, sending me down into a purgatory that lasted forever and a second at the same time.

I was alone in a world that had a negative color scheme. My body was crucified, making pause for a split-second to wonder if I was Jesus in the mind of Itachi, which I obviously am. I managed to shove that thought away, however, as the teenager I wished to speak with stood before me.

"You're very foolish, Ren," he criticized as he held a katana in his dominant hand.

"So are you," I replied with a smirk. "Killing your entire clan because they were going to commit a coup, saving only Uchiha "Duckass" Sasuke himself?"

The older brother paused before stabbing the pole next to my neck. "Who told you? That was classified, so classified only three people in all of Konoha knew about it."

"Yeah, you, Hokage-sama, and Danzō, right?" I questioned as I stared the older male in the eyes.

His sharingans narrowed at me dramatically. "Who told you, Ren?"

I snorted at his persistence. "No one. I got the documentations myself. I'm not a fool, Itachi. In case you forgot, we're both older brothers. I know the lengths you would go to ensure your younger sibling could live a long, happy life."

He grit his teeth slightly before calling down to his usual stoic self. "If you're thinking about doing what I have, I'll kill you now."

I rolled my eyes before sending my head forwards, cracking our skulls together. I felt blood run down my forehead, probably from the reopened wound there. "I wouldn't tell you about it if I was going to do it. Besides, that would cause Sakura sadness, and I'm not as asshole like you. I'm explaining my knowledge because I want to hear your side of things. I just..." I gave a sad sigh as I hung my head a bit, causing the blade to draw a small trickle of blood. "I just want to know how things came down to that..."

"You wouldn't understand," he replied as he pulled the sword from the wooden structure I was attacked to.

"Then at least tell me what you did to my chakra!" I demanded to know.

"Chakra?" He repeated questioningly.

"Don't play dumb!" I exclaimed angrily as I lifted my head up. I saw his confused expression and realized he actually had no fucking idea what I was talking about. "I know he isn't the most reliable source, but Orochimaru said there was something off with my chakra at a certain place. That place is where you carved Shisui-senpai's mangekyō sharingan."

"Ah, that..." Itachi blinked before saying as casually as possible, "His remaining sharingan is inside of you."

I gave a sarcastic laugh before trying to head-butt him again, only to fail as he quickly stepped back. "Bitch, how fucking stupid do you think I am?!"

"I'm serious. That night, when I left the village, I put his sharingan inside of you. Even as a child, you demonstrated a strong Will of Fire. I figured that you would be the best person to entrust his sharingan to so you can bring Sasuke back," the goddamn fucking Uchiha explained.

I was honestly disgusted with the fucking audacity that piece of shit had just shown me. "Excuse me, but you want me to bring back your disgusting little brother after he runs off with Orochimaru?"

"Yes," the dark-haired man answered without hesitation.

I wanted to start strangling the Uchiha, but I was still crucified at the moment. I released a loud scream instead to get all of my rage out. I then looked at Itachi with great annoyance. "Why can't you do this yourself? Are you afraid that you can't convince him?"

He blinked those dark lashes at me once before gaining a face of realization. "Oh, right, Shisui's mangekyō can cast a genjutsu that will essentially get Sasuke to forget his malice and go back to the village. As for why you have to do it, it's because Sasuke is going to kill me first."

I felt as though he had just sucker punched my gut with the fury of a drunken Lee-senpai. Tears came to my eyes, but I managed to blink them away. "Wh-what do you mean kill you? Why would you want that?"

"Because I killed my clan," he replied stoically.

"But you did it to prevent all of Konoha being destroyed! You did it to protect him!" I objected.

"To be honest, it's more of a mercy kill at this point in time," the Uchiha stated, causing me to pause. He noticed and gave a saddened smile that practically shattered my heart. "I'm going to die soon anyway. I have a terminal illness that will kill me in as few years."

"T-Tsunade-hime could find a cure! She's the best medical shinobi around, so-"

He shook his head, causing tears to actually start running down my face.

"But I..." I lowered my head, not knowing what to say to make him reconsider. I couldn't believe how much he had his heart set on that path of self-destruction. I sucked in a sharp breath before trying again. "Danzō is the cause of this, right? If we just get rid of him somehow, then I'm sure you'll be let back in."

"No one else knows but four of us. No one else needs to know." He gave the tiniest of smiles. "Besides, I don't want you to be caught up more than you already are. If you know too much, you'll be gone after."

"...By Danzō, right?" I muttered softly.

"Yeah," he agreed before explaining, "He has Shisui's other eye. The night Shisui supposedly committed suicide, he was actually going to use his special genjutsu on the clan to make them forget about their hostilities and plans against Konoha. However, Danzō intervened and poisoned Shisui before stealing one of his eyes. Shisui managed to get away, but the damage was already done. He gave me his other eye before using the shunshin jutsu to go somewhere where his body would never be found. And you know the rest..."

My hands clenched into tight fists, my head hanging once again in defeat. "You... really want to do this?"

"Yes. I believe it's the best way," the foolish Uchiha agreed.

I grit my teeth before finally allowing my body to sag. I only had one trick left in my mind, and I was sure I could pull it off as if I was completely genuine. I looked up into his eyes, tears almost filling mine to the brim. "But I... love you."

His face showed his sorrow, but he remained smiling. "I suppose this will be significantly harder on you."

I lost. I wasn't able to convince him to take the path I wanted him to. I wasn't able to preserve my sister's happiness.

Sasuke will leave.

He'll peruse Itachi, an innocent man, for revenge.

He's going to cause my sister to cry.

He's going to break her heart because I wasn't able to keep Itachi here...

Because I was too weak...

Because I was too stupid...

Because I was too useless...

I began to pant heavily as my heart clenched tightly. I glanced to my left and right, only to see red shackles from Itachi-senpai's innocently shed blood. I looked down at my feet and saw those blue shackles from my sister's heartbroken tears. I squirmed desperately, trying to break free. I looked up, only to see a disappointed Itachi-senpai standing in front of me. I released a small whimper at his bloody features that looked at me with slight contempt. I squirmed even more as he began to reach a hand up towards me. I finally realized I couldn't get free and released a loud scream.

The negative color scheme suddenly changed to the normal earthy hues. Even though I was back in reality, my mind was trapped inside of the hellhole I dreamed up about once a month.

I immediately fell backwards and hit a hard surface. My body curled itself into a ball despite the thing that had wrapped around my waist. My eyes couldn't focus on anything, and my breathing couldn't stabilize itself. I felt drool running down my chin as I panted heavily. My body convulsed as a burning fluid rose up my esophagus. I quickly spit the acidic stomach bile out, allowing it to splash into the water that my feet were dipped into. My fingertips just barely grazed the surface of the river below me. My ears buzzed before a muffled voice entered them. I couldn't decipher what the person was saying, but focusing on that helped me block out the hellhole.

As I listened, I determined the voice to be masculine. His tone had a sense of urgency and worry, as if the guy was afraid of something. He also seemed so far away, like he was barely within my range of hearing.

In any case, the voice was helping me calm down, allowing me to ease into a relaxed state where my mind could peacefully rest for a few moments and recuperate.

To say Kakashi was worried would be the biggest understatement of the year in his personal opinion. One second, he was ready to face Itachi's sharingan, and then next a white blur filled his vision. And one more second later, his student collapses and starts having seizure-like symptoms.

Would Ren ever stop being such a self-sacrificing asshole? Kakashi had finally realized at that moment the answer was no.

"Ren? Ren?! Oi, Ren! Snap out of it!" Kakashi demanded of his student who had just thrown up a second prior.

"I always knew he was a fool, but apparently he's gotten even more so over the past few years," Itachi said while pushing some of his bangs back, only for them to fall right back into the place they were previously positioned.

Of course, on the inside, he was just as worried, if not even more so than Kakashi. He had never seen those types of results from someone who fell under tsukuyomi.

But, even more worrying was the fact Ren broke his genjutsu. That just wasn't possible unless it he shared the same blood as Itachi. He honestly doubted Ren could tap into Shisui's sharingan's power unconsciously, especially not in the mental state he was in.

To make matters worse, just before the genjutsu was broken, things began to change.

Tsukuyomi was designed to feature a red moon that castes red light through the illusion with a cloudy atmosphere. Meanwhile, the victim was forced to live through the genjutsu while seeing the negative color scheme that also effected themselves.

That particular tsukuyomi had Ren crucified, the colors matching up as they should have, or at least at the beginning. Within the last few seconds of the genjutsu, blue tinted the handcuffs as red colored the anklecuffs. That, combined with the genjutsu breaking immediately afterwards, gave Itachi a very bad feeling regarding the mental state of the boy who, to his knowledge, literally just got his heart shattered into a million pieces.

That was the other bad thing. Ren seemed desperate to get him to stay, so desperate, in fact, he started having a mental breakdown when rejected. How the hell was anyone going to fix that? Itachi himself couldn't fix a slip-up that catastrophic.

Then and there, Itachi made a declaration to himself to somehow make it up to Ren if the boy ever managed to recover from the psychological trauma.

Kakashi felt his student's body start to go limp, causing a hidden rage to grow deep inside. He glared up at Itachi fiercely, his sharingan blazing. "What did you do to him?"

Itachi blinked in surprise as he saw Kakashi's sharingan change for a split-second. He nearly activated the mangekyō sharingan, so Ren must be rather important to him.

Kisame gave a small laugh. "Heh... That jutsu is used to cause a breakdown in one's spirit, isn't it? ...I'm surprised that kid is still alive..."

Kakashi pulled his precious student closer to his body and grit his teeth. Damn you, Ren. You really don't think of any repercussions for your actions before you throw yourself into dangerous situations. I guess I shouldn't have taken our promise so seriously, but still...!

"However, Itachi-san," Kisame continued, "You should be careful since the "eye" is dangerous to you as well."

Kakashi growled softly. "You're looking for Sasuke, aren't you?"

"No," Itachi replied honestly, "We're are after Yondaime's son."

"Yondaime-sama's son, you say..." Kakashi muttered before taking a split-second to realize what those two were after.

"What would they want with him...?" Kurenai questioned with great confusion.

Ren released a deep breath as his vision finally started to clear. He was slowly recovering his senses, though his body still gave the occasional spasm. Well, at least he knew he was alive.

"You're target is... the kyūbi inside of Naruto, isn't it?" Kakashi inquired sharply. "You have begun to move. You think we don't know? The name of your organization... It's Akatsuki, isn't it?"

"Akatsuki?" Asuma repeated questioningly.

"Kisame! Take Kakashi out!" Itachi ordered, "It's time for these people to disappear!"

Kisame grinned widely as he began to run forwards with his Samehada. Just before he could hit anything, Gai made a dynamic entry, kicking the Kirigakure ninja back to Itachi's side. "Who the hell is this?!" Kisame questioned as he finally got back into his own two feet.

"Konoha's Prideful Green Beast, Maito Gai!" The man in green spandex answered, a serious expression on his face.

"What the...? Better yet..." The rouge shinobi gave a smirk. "Should I just mistake you for an exotic animal?"

"Don't take that man lightly," Itachi advised.

Ren released a small groan, catching everyone's attention.

Gai's brow furrowed a bit at the state of one of his favorite students that just so happened to not be his. He was definitely going to get some answers out of his eternal rival later.

My head had cleared up about halfway, but it wasn't enough. I could still see flashes of those disappointed faces, still hear those faint words ringing in my skull, still feel those tight, unforgiving shackles. I stared down at my reflection blankly. To be perfectly honest, I looked like shit. I was definitely going to be sent back to the hospital at that rate.

That voice from before had split up into multiple voices along the way, or perhaps they were always multiple voices. In any case, all but one sounded familiar. I had been able to split apart the allies from the enemies, though I suppose that one ally standing so far away with an enemy may have been a failure in my abilities to some people.

I felt my body twitch once after the face that started my miniature hellhole appeared in my vision. I released a small groan before his clear voice bounced around me head.

"Ren. Wake up."

My eyes opened wide as my body finally stopped its nonsense. My head cleared up considerable before more words entered my mind.

"You deserve happiness too."

I sighed deeply before clenching my hands into fists, my toes curling themselves up as well. Once I was sure I could properly use my limbs, I lifted up my head a bit. My eyes locked with those red and black ones before I mouthed, 'You deserve happiness too.'

Though his facial expression remained the same, confusion danced around his eyes. After staring blankly for a moment, his brow furrowed deeply. He was well-aware that I was going to do something "stupid" in the future, but it's not like he could call me out on it in front of everyone.

Happy that I got my message across, I allowed my body to become dead weight again. I was mentally exhausted, and my body wasn't very happy either. So, I just listened to the world around me whilst slowly drifting to sleep.

"Both of you, open your eyes!" Gai-sensei demanded as he stood protectively in front of Kakashi-sensei, who was holding me. "You are eye-to-eye when fighting the sharingan. It's fine as long as you don't look into that eye. Using the reflection is the only way you are recognized and dealt with."

Wrong... Unless he decides to not pull out the mangekyō again, in which case, I suppose you're right. I internally sighed, but also let Gai-sensei pass since Kakashi-sensei hasn't exactly unlocked the mangekyō himself.

"The way you talk about it... so that's how it's done..." Kurenai-sensei said, probably opening her eyes.

"That's pretty smart, but there's only one person here that can do it - you!" Asuma-sensei stated as he too opened his eyes.

"Two..." I corrected.

"Ren!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed as he brought me into a more comfortable position. He held me bridal style, which honestly seemed to be his favorite was of holding me.

"Me too..." I muttered as I rested my head against his chest. "Look at... his neck..."

"You're not fighting," the jônin stated with some annoyance.

I gave a small snort. "Don't... wanna..."

His grip on my tightened a bit before he suddenly turned me around. "Kurenai, take him to the medical treatment center."

I released a small groan as I was handed over and curled up slightly.

"I've already arranged for reinforcements," Gai-sensei said, making my eyes open.

"They're gonna retreat..." I mumbled before allowing my eyes to slide over towards where Itachi and Kisame were. I couldn't see the two since both Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei blocked them. I released a heavy sigh before resigning myself to sleep. There was nothing more I could do anyway. I just hoped that I wouldn't dream up that cold, personal hell of mine...

Who am I kidding? I totally couldn't fall asleep when my mind was going that fast.

But, true to my word, Itachi-senpai and Hoshigaki retreated from the village entirely. They were probably regrouping before chasing after Uzumaki-kun. I had the feeling they'd find him, but that they wouldn't be able to take him, so all's well that ends well. Except that whole thing starts up a major shitstorm with little bitch-baby Duckass.

In any case, Kakashi-sensei and crew decided to take me back to his apartment instead of the hospital, probably because the man had some pity on the iatrophobia-ridden individual that called itself Haruno Ren.

I was laid down on a futon in Kakashi-sensei's room and remained surrounded by the four jônins. I kept silent as they talked around me, evening out my breathing slowly to make it appear as though I had fallen asleep.

"That guy still hasn't found Naruto," Gai-sensei stated incorrectly.

"But it's not funny that he entered a crowded village," Asuma-sensei said, "In this village, finding Naruto is pretty simple. Itachi knows Naruto's face."

I internally agreed with the Sarutobi.

Gai-sensei suddenly put a finger to his lips and made a shushing sound.

The door son opened, revealing Duckass in all of his ducky glory. "Kakashi-" He cut himself off upon seeing me. "Why is Ren sleeping here? Why are all the jônin gathered where he's resting?"

"Um, no... It's not really that," Gai-sensei lied pathetically.

A different shinobi suddenly barged in and yelled, "Is the story that Itachi has returned true?! And that he's chasing Naruto?!" He suddenly seemed to realize that Sasuke was there and released a small, "Ah!"

"Idiot," Kurenai-sensei commented, making me give a microscopic nod of approval.

The man in green spandex actually facepalmed before groaning in annoyance.

Sasuke suddenly took off running, willingly charging forwards to an ass-kicking.

"Where are you going?!" Gai-sensei demanded to know as he began to rush after the stupid Uchiha.

After the two left, I casually commented, "Itachi's totally going to fuck up Sasuke."

My beloved sensei karate chopped my head. "Don't look so happy saying that."

"It's Duckass, I can't help it," I replied as my grin widened.

"Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" The silvernette threatened, causing me to immediately lose the grin. "That's what I thought."

"This really is going to turn out messy, huh?" Asuma-sensei questioned worriedly.

More messy that you could possibly comprehend, I answered internally before rolling over onto my side. I then pulled the covers over my head and curled into a ball so I could fall asleep, which I honestly could side if was in a nice bed.

Oh, and not to be weird or anything, but his sheets smelled like dog.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six

I took in a deep breath through my nose before sitting up. I held my queasy stomach, but nevertheless forced my feet to swing over to side of the bed. I scooted forwards, stood up shakily, and then proceeded to flop onto my face. I made a loud groan when my IV stand went with me, hitting the back of my head harshly as if it was Kakashi-sensei.

I swear to kami-sama, that thing was sentient and after my blood.

The door to my room opened, causing me to look at the feet of the person who just entered. Those feet belonged to a person who I knew would kick my ass all the way across Konoha and back, especially considering how bad of a patient I was being in that moment.

I gave a nervous chuckle before allowing my eyes to drift up and met the darker amber-colored ones. "H-hey... Tsunade-hime... How's it, uh, goin'?"

She glared down at me fiercely. "Haruno Ren, just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Getting a glass of water," I replied honestly while point to the glass that had been just outside of my reach.

The blonde sighed deeply before walking over. She easily lifted me up and placed me back in the bed. She then handed over the glass of water before putting her hand to my head. "Congrats, by the way."

"What?" I blurted out in confusion, not at all knowing what she was referring to.

"The chûnin exams," she clarified, causing a grave look to cross my face.

I stared down at my legs, my hands curling into balls. "How could you congratulate me on failing to save Hokage-sama?"

She made a small noise of surprise mixed with sorrow. She awkwardly cleared her throat before saying, "Um, no. I was referring to your promotion to chûnin."

My eyes shot over to her. "I was promoted to chûnin?"

"No one told you?" The Legendary Sucker asked with great exasperation.

"Apparently not," I replied, still in shock. I had bet that only Shikamaru-san would be deemed worthy by the Elder Council, so I was concerned about how my gut managed to fuck that up.

"Yeah, Danzō really pushed for it," she explained.

I paused for a split-second, my body almost releasing shakes of anger. Well, Itachi-senpai, it looks like I already attracted his attention...

"So I take it you already know of him..." Tsunade-hime noted aloud.

"Yeah... My taichō is a former member of his... foundation," I replied, carefully choosing my words.

"I see..." She allowed her words to fall off after that and instead checked out my rather damaged appendages. "Well, your arms will be healed up fully by the end of this week. Your chest, on the other hand, is going to take another month or so."

"Can't you just heal it up?" I asked with a tilt of my head. "You are the best medical nin in the world."

She gave a somewhat forced smile. "Well if I did that, how would you ever learn your lesson?"

"It's been years. Do you think I will ever learn my lesson?" I crossed my arms and turned my head away. "Besides, I got the first one to save my team and the second one to... save... Hokage-sama..." My words trailed off as my body sagged down, my failures still ringing clear in my mind.

"Lighten up!" The blonde demanded while slapping my back harshly, probably leaving behind a harsh red mark for all to see later. "You're a chûnin now, and that means you can learn more things to save more people!"

I released a small gasp before my head snapped around. "Speaking of learning, your grandfather was Shodaime-sama, right?!"

She looked a bit off-put by my sudden enthusiasm. "Yes...?"

"Do you know any of his kekkei genkai ninjutsu?!" I asked before making a few handsigns. I then made a baby tree grow from my left forearm.

She immediately began to inspect my arm before turning around and pointing to some hidden away ANBU member. "You! Get me Tenzō!"

I gasped before asking, "You know my taichō?!"

The woman who was in her fifties grabbed my biceps and pulled me close. "Where the hell did you get that power?"

"Oh, right." I then motioned for her to calm down and said soothingly, "Relax. I haven't been experimented on by Orochimaru. It's completely genetic. Hokage-sama and I have hypothesized that it comes from the Senju's ancestors."

Her amber eyes were filled with relief before she sighed and let me go. "You had me worried there, Ren."

"Ah, sorry," I apologized before watching Tenzō-taichō appear while knelt down. "Hey taichō."

"Tenzō! Is Ren telling the truth?!" Tsunade-hime barked.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered professionally.

"We still good for tea on Wednesday?" I asked the brunette while peering around the blonde.

"Sorry, I've been having a lot more missions," the doll-eyed man apologized.

I gave a small pout before repenting. "I understand. Sorry for asking."

The woman known for her incredibly bad gambling skills leaned down and asked softly into my ear, "Why are you hitting on a man twice your age?"

I released an unholy screech before starting to flail around. "Shut up! That's not what's happening! He doesn't even know, and he isn't going to know, you bitch!"

An irked expression covered her face before she punched the top of my head. "Watch your mouth!"

Tenzō-taichō stood up and clearly looked between us behind his mask. "What exactly don't I need to know?"

The bitch standing next to me gave a chuckle.

"I swear to kami-sama, I will shove this-" I held up my left forearm that still had a sapling growing from it. "-so far up your goddamn ass-"

The amber-eyed woman ignored my threat. "He's-"

The door barged open, and Sakura flew in, followed by Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei.

Yeees! I internally screamed in victory.

"-totally gay," Tsunade-hime finished, causing my entire body to collapse in defeat, my tree breaking off as I did so.

"What?" Sakura asked, confused since there was no context to those two words.

"Ren's gay?" Tenzō-taichou blurted out in surprise.

"Welp," I said as I stood up and turned heel. "I'm going to commit seppuku now."

For some odd reason, that got Kakashi-sensei all riled up. "Ren, don't even joke about that. It's not funny."

I jolted a bit and looked over my shoulder to see just about the most serious expression I had ever seen on his face. "A-ah, I'm sorry..."

Sakura gave a deep sigh before walking over to me. She pulled me into a hug, her eyes at my shoulder level.

As I hugged her back, I couldn't help but wonder when it was that I had grown that tall.

"You're such an idiot," the pinkenette criticized.

"I'm sorry for being such an idiotic brother," I apologized with a sad smile.

"Honestly..." She released me and looked at me sternly with her green eyes. "Ren, I'm tired of you sacrificing yourself! You aren't a human shield!"

"But I am a masochist," I pointed out with a grin. Needless to say, I was punched across the face with an alarming amount of force. I flew over my bed and splatted against the wall with a very satisfied groan. I soon slid from the wall and landed on my back, causing me to sigh happily. "This is what I've been missing for such a long time."

"Well, it's good to see you haven't changed much," Tsunade-hime muttered while facepalming.

I pushed off of the ground with my hands and landed on my feet, a stupid grin on my face. "Yep! I'm still Haruno Ren, no matter what!"

"I can tell," she commented with a small look to the side.

"Wellll..." Kakashi-sensei said, interrupting the touching movement so smoothly, it could have been equated to a hot knife through butter.

"God, you are so socially awkward," I criticized.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" The jônin shot back.

"At least this pot has smoother segues than you," I stated before turning heel. I then crawled back into my bed and made a cocoon of blankets around me. "Now, be gone. I want to try sleeping now that my mind has been somewhat repaired." I mumbled under my breath, "Hopefully it's not a hellhole again."

"Was the genjutsu really that bad?" Sakura asked worriedly.

I remained silent for a moment before deciding to come clean about Itachi-senpai's tsukuyomi. "In that genjutsu, Itachi controls time and space. Minutes only take a second's time if he so desires. And for 72 hours straight, he will torture you continuously and without stop. As Hoshigaki stated earlier, it's a technique used to break a person's spirit. That combined with the tremendous strain it causes your brain all within the span of a second typically causes a person to die."

I paused for a moment to create a small lie before sighing deeply. "That particular one was 72 hours straight of being stabbed at random with a sharp katana by several different Itachis." My hands tightened on my blankets as I remembered his words. "And... he said something that..." I felt tears come to my eyes, forcing me to trail off so I wouldn't show my weakness. I bit my lower lip harshly before squeezing my eyes shut. That only seemed to push my salty tears from my eyes, allowing them to trail down my cheeks.

Two hands grabbed the blankets of my cocoon and pulled them back to reveal my surprised, teary face. Those jade green eyes that belonged to my pinkenette sister were filled with concern. Those eyes would soon be filled with tears, however, because of my massive failure to keep her happy.

Because Itachi wouldn't abandon his mission, Sasuke would leave the village. That would cause Sakura to feel sadness and cry. It would mean I failed to keep her happy. My promise would be broken, all because...

"I'm sorry," I apologized as tears freely ran down my face. "I'm... I'm so sorry."

The girl quickly hugged me and began to rub my back soothingly.

I tightly gripped the back of that red shirt she always wore and sobbed loudly. "I'm s-sorry I'm such... such a t-t-terrible big bro-brother. I don't... I don't know h-how you could ev-ever forgi-give m-me."

"Kakashi," Gai-sensei whispered harshly, catching my attention.

I blinked a few times and, even through the tears, saw Kakashi-sensei's change in demeanor.

The man's shoulders sagged down and his head raised. His body position loosened up a bit, as well as his tightly curled fists. The white that lingered on his fingers still showed how tightly his fists had been clenched. His brow had unfurrowed, and his jaw loosened. Even though he tried to hide it, rage filled his visible black eye.

My eyes drifted over to the black-haired man who still had a hand on my sensei's shoulder. I realized how he also seemed to be upset, but was better at keeping it under wraps. My gaze turned to the medic in the room, who honestly looked rather concerned. It finally dawned on me that I broke my typical happy-go-sarcastic façade. I released my sister and gently pushed her back so I could rub my face off. "I'm... I'm sorry for... crying on your... your favorite shirt..."

"They're tears, Ren. They'll dry," she said softly while running her hands through my surprisingly well-combed hair.

"But still... I..." I pursed my lips before just letting the conversation go. I played with the fabric of my loose shorts nervously, my eyes trained towards the ground. "Say... shouldn't you check up on the others, Tsunade-hime? Sasuke and Lee-senpai need more attention than me..."

Kakashi-sensei walked over and motioned for Sakura to let him take her place. "I'll stay here with him. You can go check on Sasuke."

My twin looked between the older male and I before giving a hesitant nod. "O-okay..."

The group of three left on their way with Tenzō-taichō lingering for a moment. He quickly departed after being shot a look from his senpai.

The sharingan-wielder sat down to my right on the bed. He then wrapped his left arm around my shoulders and pulled into a sideways hug. "Whatever Itachi said, don't take it to heart. He went rouge from Konohagakure years ago, remember that. Nothing he says is to be trusted."

But you don't even know why he went rouge, and no one else can shoulder that information... My grip on my shorts tightened before loosening up. I gave a heavy sigh before closing my eyes. "Hey, can I confide some personal information in you?"

"Of course," Kakashi-sensei replied immediately.

"Sometimes I feel so... useless," I explained softly, "I feel like I should be doing more."

"That's a shinobi's typical way of thinking," the man replied, causing me to look up at him in confusion. He was staring at the door blankly as he elaborated, "You see, shinobi naturally feel the urge to be more. They compare themselves to others subconsciously and automatically feel a lack of self-worth, no matter how strong they may be. Every shinobi goes through a phase where they feel useless because every shinobi is suited for a different task, especially when they are on teams. Their teammates excel at things they aren't as impressive at performing, but that is to balance the team. Just remember that when the need arises, there is something only you can do." He finally looked at me and gave a sincere closed-eye smile.

I smiled back before resting my head against his side once more. "Thank you. In all honesty, even I need assurance every once in a while."

The silver-haired jônin chuckled. "I would expect so. You're human, after all."

"Yeah," I agreed as my tension slowly began to dissipate.

"How about I bring you some dango later?" The black-eyed man suggested.

"Actually... Strawberries are in season right now and taste really good. If you could..." I felt my cheeks burn a bright red. "I... I would really appreciate some strawberry daifuku."

He gave a small hum before nodding. "I could pull that off. Anything else?"

"Once I get released, could you accompany me to the ninja administration building?" I inquired sheepishly.

"Why?" The former ANBU member asked.

"So I can get my chûnin jacket," I answered with a small huff.

He blinked a few times before suddenly shooting up. "You became a chûnin?! Since when?!"

Of course, I didn't realize no one else had been told either. "Well Tsunade-hime said I was!"

"Hold on. I'll be right back." My sensei suddenly shunshined away, only to return a few moments later. He was clearly grinning behind his mask as he held up my new jacket proudly. "My little genin is growing up! I'm so proud!"

"Hah, it's your little chûnin," I corrected while snatching away the flak jacket. I put it on, but didn't bother to zip it up. It was surprisingly comfortable considering I was shirtless with the exception on bandages. "How do I look?"

The man inspected me carefully before giving a thumbs up of approval. "Once we get your paperwork signed and a new photo of you, you'll be an official chûnin!"

I threw my fists into the air proudly. "Fuck yes! Next will be total world domination!"

Kakashi-sensei paused and looked at me in confusion.

I once again blushed in embarrassment. "It's, uh... It's a joke between Okaa-san and I."

He accepted that answer easily and patted my head. As his hand was sliding off, it managed to hit that weird bundle of nerves that made me purr. The man paused as he stared at my tomato-red face. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that..."

I hissed loudly. "I'll bite you again! Don't you dare doubt me!"

The man wisely retracted his hand and held it close to his chest, his eyes narrowed. "Bad Ren, bad."

I motioned for him to go away. "Shoo. I've been through a lot of emotional garbage today, and I need my rest."

"Fine, but I'll still bring strawberry daifuku for you later," the former ANBU compromised before taking his leave, probably to go read his porn book or something.

I put my hands on my hips before looking around for a mirror. I had only really sent Kakashi-sensei away because I didn't want him to see me checking myself out. Kami-sama knows I would have died from embarrassment. I eventually came to the realization my room didn't have a mirror and decided to head out to the bathroom. I grabbed ahold of my IV stand, glared at it to make sure it'd get the message, and then began to travel down the hallway.

After rounding a corner, Lee-senpai and I nearly ran into each other. His depressed expression eased up a bit, but he couldn't hide that sadness from someone like me. "Ah, Ren-kun..." He rose a brow at the flak jacket.

"I was promoted to chûnin, but a lot of good it does the village when I'm constantly forced back here," I joked with a somewhat forced smile.

"Oh, congratulations!" He chirped even though that news seemed to really damage his heart.

I remained silent for a moment before deciding to just be straightforward with my senpai. "Lee... What did Tsunade-hime say?"

That sadness returned, causing the black-haired boy to hang his head. "She... She told me to give up on being a shinobi. There are a lot of bone fragments lodged in important parts of my neural system. There's a surgery that she can do, but... there's only a 50% chance of success... If it fails..." His black eyes drifted up and met mine. "...I'll die."

My eyes widened, and I felt another part of my heart crack. Lee-senpai too is faced with death? Am I just a bad omen now?

"It's only if I actually agree to the surgery," he quickly assured me after seeing my eyes fill with tears. "Uh, what about you? Did she heal you too?"

"Y-yeah... I'm cleared of... most of the effects from the genjutsu," I replied, earning a confused expression. He doesn't know, and I shouldn't have opened my fucking mouth.

"I was talking about your arms and chest, but you were also placed under a genjutsu?" The boy in green spandex inquired, beginning to fret about. His fretting was contagious and caused me to start to smile and laugh nervously.

"U-uh, the genjutsu wasn't that bad at all!" I lied before pointing at my thumbs at their respective shoulders. "Oh, but my arms are going to be healed by the end of this week. My chest is going to take another month, but isn't it great that I'll be all good soon?"

"Oh, that is good," he replied with a smile, easily buying up my lie. "Well, I wish you luck."

"A-ah, you too," I said politely and watched as he continued on his way with that crutch. I clenched my teeth upon remembering that I never gave that ginger bastard any form of revenge for harming my precious senpai. I quickly shook my head to clear my thoughts before continuing on to the bathroom. I checked myself out in the mirror and realized I had definitely grown a bit. I span around to really see how I looked, especially with that new jacket. After several seconds of contemplating how good-looking I was on a scale of 1 to 10, I decided I was a decent 6 . I then head over to Duckass's room to see how he was fairing.

Through the door, I heard my sister ask, "Sasuke-kun, want some apples?"

I rolled my eyes at the disgustingly romantic gesture while opening the sliding door. I then watched as Uchiha hit the plate out of Sakura's hands, sending the plate and neatly cut apple slices all over the ground.

"...Sasuke-kun...?" Sakura asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

I went from 0 to 100 so fast, even Yondaime-sama would have been awed. I walked over to Sasuke furiously, carefully walking to avoid the apple slices and plate of course. I then reached down, grabbed that bitch's shirt, and yanked him towards me. My right arm drew all the way back before flying forwards. I felt a very satisfying sting in the palm of my hand after it made contact with Sasuke's face.

"Ren!" Sakura yelled as she grabbed my left arm.

I ignored her, glaring down fiercely at Sasuke. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! She's showing you compassion, showing that she really fucking cares about you, and you have the audacity to do something like that?! Oh, you couldn't beat Itachi! Well, boo-fucking-hoo!"

Needless to say, Duckass didn't like that one back. "What the hell would you know about that?!"

"Oh, I know so much, your tiny fucking brain would explode?! Why the fuck do you think I was surrounded by jônin at Kakashi-sensei's place anyway, for fun?! I went through that fucking genjutsu, just like you! But I was a pathetic little pansy that broke down after it!"

"Oh really? You went through 24 hours of torture?" The pathetic little Uchiha snapped.

I snorted while looking down at my nose at the onyx-eyed loser, a smirk crawling onto my lips. "No, I went through 72 hours of it. And you know what? I'm very satisfied to say I'm not a weak little bitch like yourself that fell into a comatose state afterwards." I chuckled at his puny little glare. "If you're so sick of being in my shadow, why don't you... get better than me?"

Whoa boy, let me tell you... Uchiha "Duckass" Sasuke does not approve of others using his own words again himself. That bitch lunged for me like I was Itachi-senpai, himself.

"Hey! Sasuke!" Uzumaki-kun yelled as he rushed in to prevent the biggest bitch in all of Konoha from starting something up he couldn't finish with the most ruthless chûnin the world had ever seen - aka the biggest bitch fight in the history of bitch fights.

Sakura restrained me as Naruto practically laid of Duckass to restrain him. It took a few minutes, but they did manage to calm us down to the point of not ripping each other's throats out.

"What was that all about?! I go out to get some ramen, and you guys are suddenly trying to kill each other!" Uzumaki-kun exclaimed before pointing at me. "And what's with the weird get-up?"

I looked down at myself before glaring at the boy who was known for his tacky clothes. "Hey, shut up. I pull this off good. Besides, I'm a chûnin."

"Eeeh?!" The blonde shrieked, his blue eyes practically exploding out of his skull from the shock.

"It's not official because I still need to do paperwork and all of that other bullshit, but yeah..." My shoulders sagged as I looked at the ground with defeat. "...I hate paperwork..."

"S-so you knew when I asked before the finals started that I'd not pass?!" The boy with whisker-like markings on his cheeks exclaimed.

"Yeah," I agreed mercilessly, my hands going deep into my pockets. "But becoming chûnin wasn't the top priority for me."

"Did you know that the invasion would happen?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Of course. To be honest, I didn't know Gaara was a jinchūriki until a day before the finals, but Hokage-sama and I managed to finalise the plan in your favor. I just wish I could have done more to help the old man." I gave a deep sigh before perking up. "But on the bright side, we're all still alive!"

"Yeah, but now you and Shikamaru are chûnin," the kyūbi's host complained with crossed arms, his cheeks puffed out a bit. He then pointed and accused, "I bet you knew that only you two were going to get promoted and that's why you didn't answer me!"

"No... I bet wrong," I admitted, causing the other three to look at me in shock. I stared down at the floor in front of my feet as my hands began to fidget a bit.

My hands guided themselves up to the top of the zipper of my new jacket. They then clenched the edge of the jacket tightly and ran down the sides of the zipper. The bumps were no deterrent for my hands since they made it all the way to the bottom of the zipper. Once they, they loosened their grip and glided up carefully to the top. And so, they started the process all over again.

"You see, I bet that only Shikamaru-san would be promoted. I thought I would fail alongside the other eight, but someone, a certain man, really pushed for my passing," I explained with great hesitancy.

You see, it wasn't often that my bets were wrong, but it always unnerved me when they did. That typically meant that something looked dangerously outside of my knowledge. The certain man that pushed for it... Danzō was definitely going to be lurking nearby, just out of my range of vision for a little while.

"Well, whatever," Uzumaki-kun replied, easily brushing my worried off. He then turned to Sasuke with his hands on his hips. "So, Tsunade-baa-chan healed you up, right?"

Uchiha glared fiercely, making me finally realized he was on his man period.

"Wha... What?" The blonde asked, not liking the glare he was receiving. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

The onyx-eyed loser lowered his head. "Hey... Naruto..."

"What?" The blue-eyed boy questioned.

"Fight me, now!" The paler male demanded.

My twin released a shocked noise.

"Huh? What are you babbling about...? You're still recovering..." Uzumaki-kun pointed out.

Duckass activated his sharingan before demanding, "Shut up and fight me!"

I straightened my hand out before lifting it up. I quickly brought it down on Uchiha's head and stated, "You fool. If Tsunade-hime finds out, she'll beat you within an inch of your life."

He lowered his head once again, a scowl on his lips. "That foolish Godaime Hokage or whoever... butting into other people's business." He slid from the bed, purposefully shouldering me on his way.

I took a step back and held my elbows with a cocked brow. I had a feeling this wasn't going to end up good.

"What?" Uzumaki-kun snapped.

The two little gay boys stood less than an arm's reach away and looked into each other's eyes. The romance was so think- Oh, wait. No, that's the aura of 'Prepare to get your ass beat, bitch!' Honest mistake, am I right?

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong with you?! Naruto, tell him to stop! I mean..." My sister trailed off upon realizing the two were definitely using their egos instead of their fucking brains.

The blonde idiot gave a smirk. "Well then, I was thinking about it too..."

I rolled my eyes before picking up my IV stand. I then proceeded to smack both of them with it. "You fools! Tsunade-hime is not to be angered!"

"Stay out of this!" Sasuke barked at me with rage burning brightly. "I'm sick of you always butting in!"

"Do you think it's fun playing babysitter?" I asked as I looked down at him. I realized then and there that I had also surpassed him in height. I shook my head before stepping back. "Whatever, you're not even worth my time anymore. If you two really wish to fight, take it to the roof." I then turned heel and walked off back toward my room. I didn't need to take his shit just because he got his ass royally beat by Itachi-senpai.

I got inside my room and sat down on my bed before closing my eyes. I carefully mixed my chakra together and then made a kage bunshin. I looked over it pleasingly.

The doppelganger held up a thumb before using the hiraishin jutsu to go tattle on Uchiha. He was first going to Kakashi-sensei and then Tsunade-hime.

I gave a deep sigh before taking off my chûnin jacket. I put on an actual shirt and headed up to the roof while dragging my IV stand behind me.

Fuck stairs, by the way. Just, fuck them. How many goddamn stairs does ones fucking hospital need? Why the fuck was my room on the bottom level? That's just fucking ridiculous.

I finally made it up to the roof and kicked open the door. I raised my brow as two Narutos made this odd ball of chakra. What jutsu is that? I walked over to Sakura as Duckass began to use the chidori.

"Stop..." Sakura pleaded softly, making me tense up.

Just as she knew when I was about to do something stupid, I knew when she was going to do something stupid. And boy howdy, was she about to do something my levels of stupid.

"You two stop!" She exclaimed, only to be ignored. "Stop!" Then, this fucking moron runs to intercept the two despite the fact they were obviously ready to kill each other. "Both of you, stand down!"

I quickly used the hiraishin jutsu to teleport to her and shove her out of the way. Just as I was about to follow after her, that fucking IV stand tripped me. As I started falling forwards, I couldn't help but think, I knew that piece of shit was trying to kill me...

That's when the knight in shining armor appeared to save my ass from death. He grabbed ahold of Uchiha's wrist as well as Uzumaki-kun's. The silvernette spun then around and sent them each towards different water towers on the opposite sides of the roof. The sharingan-wielder then caught me before I could hit the ground.

"I hate this fucking thing," I grumbled while glaring at the bastard that tripped me.

Kakashi-sensei didn't pay my bitching any mind. He instead stood up and looked between the two idiots. "Hey! You two!" His face eased up and showed a look of concerned annoyance that only he could make. "What are you doing on the roof of the hospital? If you're fighting, you're getting too heated... both of you."

The blonde released a small groan as his hand rested on the rather sizable dent he made in the water tower.

Uchiha released a small laugh of cockiness as his arm was stuck inside of the water tower. His attack did more frontal damage, leaving a large web of indents in it. He pulled his arm out and grinned over at the person he supposedly beat.

I looked over at Uzumaki-kun's tank closely, my brow raised. I hadn't overlooked the obvious sound of a shitload of water coming from his tank. I took several steps back and nearly gasped at the amount of damage to the back of the tank. Holy shit, that attack was fucking amazing. To be able to burst the tank open on the back, but minimalize the damage on the front is a very interesting ability.

The jônin jumped up on Uchiha's damaged tank and sat on the edge of it. "Why are you so obsessed with your superiority complex, Sasuke?"

The boy with his head shoved up his ass glared at our sensei, clearly not liking how Kakashi-sensei pointed out his biggest flaw.

The former ANBU member wasn't phased in the slightest. "That level of chidori just now isn't an appropriate technique to be used here against your own comrade. Were you trying to kill Naruto?"

My younger sister released a loud gasp.

"Where did such... immature behavior... come from...?" The man inquired despite already having a clear idea of where it came from.

Duckass looked away before jumping high into the air. He backflipped over the fence and escaped everyone's sight.

"Fingers crossed he breaks his leg," I said while crossing all the fingers I could.

Sakura just started crying, not at all caring about my jab at her love interest.

I awkwardly stood there before just pointing over my shoulder at the door. I got about three steps towards it when the doors burst open.

The blonde sennin came walking over with a furious expression, my bunshin following behind with an expression that spoke of wars and death all around.

"Where the hell is he?!" Tsunade-hime barked.

My arm immediately shot out and pointed to where the asshole jumped. "He still should be nearby. I'd check the trees."

"Good, now get back to bed!" The Senju demanded.

I saluted her before quickly rushing back down towards my room.

Sitting in a hospital room was preferable to death, after all.

My bunshin followed after me and whispered softly into my ear, "Remember what Lee-senpai said earlier about his nerves? I'm going to go some books together, okay? Kabuto's ability to withstand both of the lotuses and Haku's pinpoint needle aim has given me a few ideas."

Upon hearing him say that, I too caught onto his way of thinking. I nodded in approval, allowing it to do as it pleased while I remained in my hospital room like a good patient.

After ten or so minutes, Tsunade-hime entered my room while dragging my bunshin behind her.

I raised a brow at it, earning a small shrug. "How fucking useless are my kage bunshins?"

"You're lucky I'm letting you off this time," the medic stated, causing me to look at her in confusion. "Though I don't know anything about that Haku kid, I too saw Kabuto's jutsu in action. Your double explained to me your little thesis, and I'll be taking over since I have more medical knowledge than you."

I brightened up considerably. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity for my senpai.

She gave a small smirk and put her hand on her hips. "Another one of your possible crushes?"

I immediately frowned, embarrassment coursing through my veins. "I can't believe you told Tenzō-taichō that I'm gay. You know I don't like others knowing."

"Ren, everyone already knows," she replied while rolling her amber eyes. "You couldn't be more obvious about it."

"Well clearly someone didn't know," I sassed bitterly.

"Look, Tenzō is the last person that would judge you," Tsunade-hime assured me, or at least tried to. Her words lead to more questions than answers really, but she didn't elaborate. She instead turned heel and left, her green jacket and blonde hair flying behind her.

My kage bunshin also disappeared, but I got it's memories of a royal ass-whipping courtesy of the Legendary Sucker.

Goddamn, my doppelgangers could take a fucking beating. Apparently, they were useful for something after all.

In any case, I laid in that room for ages, waiting patiently for death or my early release. Instead, I got a gut feeling that something was happening that I wouldn't like. As I stared blankly at the ceiling, my body became anxious. I eventually had to get up and start pacing around the room. After about five minutes of that, I very carefully took the IV needle from my arm. I threw on my jacket and hitai-ate and left the hospital through my window.

The moon was a mere crescent, and no one lingered in the streets so late at night. Despite the lack of many clouds, it still appeared to be a starless night. It seemed as though the sky was permitting darkness to lurk, a darkness I most definitely didn't approve of.

My destination wasn't clear, but the closer I got to the village gates, the faster I went. I soon arrived at a bench and saw my sister had been knocked out. I made two kage bunshins, one to go tell Tsunade-hime I would need backup, and the other to get my sister's home safely. I then continued on with my fast pace, leaving the village soon afterwards. I briefly paused when I realized I had no weapons save for my own chakra. I quickly left a chakra seal of the ground, teleported to my tantō, secured it to my back, and then teleported back. I ran for a little while before spotting a familiar figure in the distance. I ran as fast as possible towards it and quickly caught up to the boy with hair shaped into a duck's butt.

"You really have been a nuisance lately," he commented as I blocked his path.

"I could say the same, but it'd be a rather massive understatement," I replied honestly before cocking my head to the side. "So are you coming back easily, or am I breaking all of your limbs?"

That curse seal of his began to spread across his body, his sharingan activating itself for the thousandth time that day.

I grabbed the handle of my tantō and allowed myself to grow expressionless. "Very well."

Four presences suddenly appeared behind me, their power level rather obvious. If the four worked together, they could probably overpower me. Well, that is if they even decided to fight me to begin with. They were probably just trying an intimidation tactic.

I gave a small chuckle and shook my head. "I was wondering who convinced you to walk down a path of such high self-destruction. It should have been obvious, now that the answer presents itself."

"What was that, shitrag?" The female snapped at me.

I lowered my hand from my blade and teleported behind Uchiha. I wrapped my arms around his waist and put my chin on his shoulder, my eyes resting on the four from Otogakure. "Well, it should be fairly obvious, unless you're a fucking imbecile."

She growled and looked ready to start up a fight.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked while glaring at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Well I'm talking about how Orochimaru can't give you the power to defeat Itachi," I replied, causing his brow to furrow. "I mean, seriously... You expect someone who lost miserably to Itachi to give you the power to kill him?"

"He's lying!" The white-haired man snapped while taking a step forwards.

"Even if I was, Orochimaru still couldn't be of any worth. After all, he can't perform and kind of jutsu anymore. Sandaime-sama sealed all of his jutsu up forever!" I exclaimed with a large grin, causing the other four to begin to advance. I quickly unsheathed my tantō and put it to Sasuke's neck. "Easy there, I wasn't done yet."

"You're bluffing," the six-armed freak snapped. His actions, however, displayed his fear that I would actually go through with slitting my teammate's neck wide open.

"Also, Orochimaru's arms are literally rotting away right now," I explained to the Uchiha. "It's actually quite the interesting sight."

"Why should I believe anything you said?" Duckass inquired.

"Because I know Itachi better than anyone else alive," I answered honestly, causing the boy to tense up. "I bet I can tell you what he said right after you were put inside of that genjutsu... "Why are you weak...? Still not enough... hatefulness." Say, was I right? I bet I was." I chuckled as his eyes widened in anger.

He swung a fist at me, but I easily jumped back, my smirk still lingering on my lips. "How the hell do you know that?!"

"Like I said, I know Itachi better than anyone else alive," I answered as I held my arms out. "That includes Itachi, himself. I know so many things about him, it'd appal you."

The boy glared at me for a moment before a look of realization covered his features. "You... You're in on it! You've been lying to everyone this whole time!"

"It's not lying if they don't ask for the truth," I denied while wiggling my fingers. I then dropped my arms and shrugged. "But whatever, really."

His sharingan was blazing, but such a weak little dōjutsu like that could never hope to beat me. "So what are you, his informant?!"

"Um, no, not really. To; be honest, it's more of the other way around. I ask questions, he answers. That's all. Occasionally, he asks one of his own, and I answer, but like I said before, it's occasional." I put my hands in my pockets while staring at the kid blankly. "Besides all that, I pretty much have Itachi wrapped around my finger. He thinks I love him, after all." I chuckled upon seeing confusion temporarily take over his anger.

"What do you mean?" The Uchiha demanded to know.

I held up my right fist. "There are four things I look for in a guy." I raised my thumb. "Pretty eyes." Up went my index finger. "A beautiful genuine smile." My middle finger proudly shot up. "Beauty marks." Finally, my ring finger rose up. "And availability." My four fingers dropped down, replaced by my raised pinky. "And your brother has three out of the four." I paused before giving a small shrug. "I mean, I've never taken the time to see him undressed, so maybe he has a hidden beauty mark, but whatever." I lowered my fist and cleared my throat. "Anyway, Itachi also thinks my love confession was genuine, but it kinda wasn't. Whoops."

"What are you getting at?" The younger brother snapped.

"I'm getting at how you're a fucking idiot," I replied honestly. "I'm the one who knows about Itachi, not Orochimaru. That snake couldn't possibly hold a candle to the knowledge I've obtained." I then turned heel and said, "But it's not like you believe that. And it's not like I really want you back either."

Two teams of jônin jumped down between Duckass and I.

"Haruno Ren-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm retreating now," I said while waving them off. I took a few steps before pausing. "Ah, right..." I looked over my shoulder and made eye-contact with the two-tomoed sharingans. "Even if you choose to abandon Konohagakure, don't forget I've placed a chakra seal on you." I gave a sadistic smirk. "No matter how far you run, no matter what you do to your body, I will always know where you are." I winked before teleporting to the seal I made outside of the village gates. I walked inside of the village with my hands in my pockets, not at all phased by the several ANBU members gathered. "Sup?"

"Ha-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going to Tsunade-hime now," I interrupted as I began to lazily trot to my imminent demise. I soon made t to the Hokage Tower and entered the office of the newest Hokage. "Su-"

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!" The woman yelled while slamming her hands down on the already broken desk.

"Haruno Ren, thanks for asking," I replied sarcastically while taking a seat in front of the poor, inseparable desk.

"You... You..." The woman punched the desk, breaking it even more. "I cannot believe your audacity!"

"I can, dattebayo," I replied with a large smirk.

The blonde took in a deep breath through her nose before sitting down. She released it slowly, clearly trying to restrain herself from killing me. Her amber eyes opened and stared at me blankly. "Okay, so you've clearly been awake for far too long, and it's making you even more sarcastic than usual."

"Aw man, I was hoping you'd forget about that quirk," I muttered while kicking my feet up onto the remnants of the poor desk. "But yeah, you're right. Did my bunshin fully explain the situation?"

"Yes, and you should have sent your real body instead," she commented, causing me to raise a brow.

"And get beaten to unconsciousness?" I questioned before shaking my head. "No thanks. Besides, it gave me the chance to place a few new chakra seals."

"In any case, you better be ready for punishment tomorrow," the woman stated.

"Mkay. Anything else?" I asked, earning a shake of the head.

"You're dismissed," Tsunade-hime said while waving me off.

I stood up before pausing. "Actually, there is something I wish to discuss first..."

She raised up a blonde brow. "And what would that be?"

"Your betting debt to me," I clarified, causing a displeased expression to cross her face. I, meanwhile, grinned like an asshole as she dismissed her ANBU guards.

I hate to brag, but I was pretty good at getting what I wanted. It comes with being a manipulative little shit.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven

I hate that fucking bird. You know what? I hate all fucking songbirds. Just, fuck them. They should all die. But this bird in particular needs to die a painful fucking death.

Okay, so you probably need context. After dealing with Tsunade-hime, I was actually allowed to pick up my shit from the hospital and go home. By the time I managed to sneak into my room and get into bed, it was after midnight. I'm guessing I got about three hours of sleep before that fucking bird started tweeting right outside of my window. I put my hands over my ears and tried to ignore it, on my for that asshole to start hitting my window with its goddamn beak!

I fucking hate that bird!

Anyway, after fifteen minutes of trying, and failing, to ignore the damn thing, I realized I just wasn't going to come out victorious. So, I dragged myself out of bed, put on my sleeveless black turtleneck and chûnin jacket, and got all of my gear together. I used the hiraishin jutsu to appear outside of Tsunade-hime's office and gave a half-assed knock on the door.

"Come in," she called.

I did so and gave her the bitchiest glare I could. "It's 3:45 in the fucking morning. The sun isn't even out yet."

"I noticed," the sennin replied before motioning for me to go over to her somehow repaired desk.

Wait, actually, she probably got Tenzō-taichō to make her a new one. Double wait, wasn't he away on a mission?

I internally waved off my confused thoughts and came over. "I have bags under my eyes, you know."

"Well, it's a good thing you aren't dating," the blonde stated before holding out a small scroll. "You have a mission."

I raised a brow. "By myself?"

"No, you idiot," she criticized with a roll of her amber eyes. "Your team is waiting in the next room over."

I gave a small hum as she opened the scroll and handed it over. I quickly read over the details before my brow raised up. "Uh, am I really qualified for this mission?"

"Did you really kill over 20 rouges by now?" The Senju retorted, causing me to nod.

"Okay, kill a nearby group of rouges. Easy enough," I replied as I closed up the scroll. I put it in my back pouch before pausing. "So, uh, did they retrieve Duckass?"

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that," she replied gravely.

I gave a small hum and then looked out to the village. "I know it will result in casualties, but you should have Shikamaru-san lead a group of genin after Sasuke. It will lead to better teamwork and development of those four individuals."

"You're sending them out to a suicide mission," she criticized.

"Shizune-san, Genma-san, Raidō-san, and Iwashi-san should be returning from their mission today," I said, causing her head to snap up. "They'll encounter the enemy, so you should probably send a medic out after Shikamaru-san and co. leaves. Genma-san and Raidō-san will really need it."

Tsunade-hime grit her teeth before nodding. "I see... You're dismissed. Do you have everything you need?"

"Of course," I answered, earning a nod of approval. I bowed to her before going on my way to the next room over. I opened the door and heard a click of the tongue.

"Finally. You're late," the male in the corner snapped. He appeared to be in his later teens judging by his height, but his muscles said he was older. His blue eyes were sharp and contrasted gravely against his black hair. He appeared to be of chûnin ranking, just as I, though I still wasn't technically one.

"Be happy Godaime-sama found us a replacement of just short notice," the female demanded as she looked at me with her hand on her hip. She seemed to be the same age as the short-tempered male, late teens. Her brown hair was short and matched her brown eyes. Even though she seemed to be making an at-ease facial expression, her eyes told me she was wary.

The man standing at the window chuckled and shook his head, causing his dark red hair to sway slightly. "I can't believe you two don't recognize him."

"'The hell are you talking about?" The first male demanded to know.

The final male, clearly of jônin ranking, turned and gave a smirk, his purple eyes filled up with amusement. "This little guy is the mokuton user from the chûnin exams, Sandaime-sama's little informant."

"Hmph, whatever. Being able to predict things and actually doing them are different," the slightly younger-looking guy stated while glaring at me harshly.

My god, I had enough of his bullshit, and I had only known him for less than a minute.

"In any case, you're Haruno, right?" The man asked before motioning to the guy on his man-period. "That's Yamamoto, she's Inoue, and I'm Takahashi. Now, let's move out. It's best to strike when the enemy is unprepared and asleep."

As we were departing, I took out the scroll and threw it towards the jônin. "Lead the way, taichō."

He smirked as he caught it. He threw it back and allowed his eyes to glint in the barely visible light coming over the far horizon. "Don't tell me you weren't informed."

I caught it with a somewhat annoyed expression. Of course she would do something like this. What an asshole... Ah, but it's good that my sadism is rising, especially for this sort of mission. I put the scroll away, allowing my expression to become emotionless as I did so. "Well, it's a good thing I've been working on my sensory skills. Tsunade-hime can be such a fucking bitch."

"You kiss to your mother with that mouth?" Yamamoto asked with a sneer.

"I'll kiss you with this mouth if it gets you to shut up," I replied, not bothering to glance back at him.

Inoue gave a loud snort. "I like him better than Amari-sensei."

I didn't comment as I normally would have. Instead, I kept my eyes on the path ahead of me. I mean, it wasn't a real path, but jumping through trees never had a real path involved.

"Do you know where we're going?" Yamamoto grumbled.

"I memorized the data given, yes," I replied honestly.

Takahashi gave a small chuckle. "It's no wonder you, a rookie, became chûnin so fast. I dare say you're a prodigy."

I blinked once before glancing back. "Prodigy only applies when comparing yourself to others. Hatake Kakashi was an even more successful prodigy, no? Uchiha Itachi as well, but I probably shouldn't mention that disgusting traitor."

His eyes sharpened a bit, something he couldn't hide from me. "So, you're very loyal to the village, huh?"

"Of course," I answered, "And every other citizen of Konoha, shinobi or not, should be too. If they're not loyal, they're bound to start up trouble for the country. It's unacceptable."

A small smirk crossed his lips, a glint forming in his eyes. As he opened his mouth to say something else, I easily noticed the tattoo on his tongue. "You're ideals are very interesting."

I lowered my head a bit in slight acknowledgement. I didn't think the other two were linked to Takahashi, so I didn't want to start blabbering the ideology that would secure me a place in the organization I desperately needed to become a part of if I was going to accomplish my ultimate goal one day.

The conversation thankfully dropped off there, and the four of us moved in silence until we got half a kilometer from the base of the rouges. The sun was starting to rise up some more, indicating it was probably around 4:15 a.m. by then.

I took in a deep breath before closing my eyes. I knelt down on the tree branch and carefully sent my chakra out. I ignored the confused noises from Yamamoto and Inoue and focus solely on the distant chakra signatures. "Two jônin and five chûnin judging by chakra reservoirs. They're all well-rested and at ease, probably starting off their day right now. An ambush is unexpected at this point in time." I opened my eyes before questioning, "What're your specialties?"

"Taijutsu," Yamamoto answered, though that was fairly obvious.

"Bukijutsu," Inoue replied with her hands proudly on her hips.

I raised a brow, not at all seeing the weaponry she should have had. "And fūinjutsu, I assume."

"You know your stuff, eh?" The brunette asked while looking somewhat impressed.

I looked over to Takahashi instead of answering.

"Ninjutsu," he stated.

"How good are you at stealth?" I inquired while looking between the three.

"2.5," Inoue answered first, a bit sheepishly at that.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, looked away with a small scowl. "...2..."

"3.5," Takahashi replied.

So stealth isn't the best option for them. Figures. I glanced over towards the camp before standing. "Very well. Yamamoto, Inoue, you're going to be the second wave. Takahashi and I will be the first. The two of us with stealth our way over and eliminate one of two. We'll probably be noticed immediately afterwards, so that's when you two come in, guns blazing. The forces will be distracted and thus easier to pick off. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. What the hell do you specialize in?" The black-haired guy growled.

"Taijutsu, fūinjutsu, shurikenjutsu, kayakujutsu, mokuton, and stealth," I answered honestly before making the hand signal for Takahashi and I to go ahead. I suppressed my chakra and quickly made my way over while unsheathing my tantō. I soon made it a few meters away from the edge of the camp and hid in a bush. I looked for the closest person off their guard, and realized there was still someone sleeping in a nearby tent. I looked over at the purple-eyed man and motioned for him to go in. I then began to crouch-walk my way into the tent that had two very clear entrances.

The male, his chakra indicated chûnin, was snoring softly, clearly in a deep sleep.

I covered his mouth before stabbing my blade into his brain - an easy, practically painless death. After pulling my blade out, I noticed that no commotion had started indicating a fight. I backed out of the tent slowly and peaked around the small clearing. I raised a brow at the five people who were chatting around a fire as if they were without a care in the world.

That was... really unnatural.

My hands went together, and I closed my eyes. Kai! I dispelled the genjutsu and noticed that the five were still chatting, though they weren't around a fire.

They were softly whispering as they crowded around a large scroll.

I gave a satisfied smirk while making several handsigns. I briefly peaked into the tent and noticed that chûnin was still there and dead. I nodded once in approval before my beams of wood began to grow out of the ground directly behind each of the five people.

The beams weren't as wide as you may expect, but rather small. They slowly, silently inched their way out of the ground and began to very loosely wrap around the five.

Takahashi suddenly appeared next to me and peaked into the tent. He rose a brow and looked back at me to see why I was so focused. His eyes narrowed at the five and looked very closely. He nearly gasped in surprise at what he saw, but managed to hold it back.

I nearly facepalmed when Inoue and Yamamoto suddenly jumped down and began to fight non-existent people.

Of course, the five noticed and began to move away, only for them to realize that they were carefully bound up.

I put more chakra into the jutsu and made five new pillars, those of the usual thickness. I easily wrapped the five up with the new wood before allowing my hands to separate. "Could you go help them? This is embarrassing," I mumbled while glancing over at the two who were still making fools out of themselves.

"Yeah..." He agreed, also looking somewhat embarrassed.

I walked over to the five struggling men, my tantō still drawn. I easily sliced through the back of one's neck and began walking around to do the same to the others. I eliminated the other four before Takahashi and co. returned to my side, though I had yet to fully finish the job.

"The hell are you doing?! They're still alive!" Yamamoto yelled as I slowly sheathed my tantō.

"Relax, they're already dead," I assured him while my hand paused. I then forced my tantō all the way down and didn't bother to look up at the five that released small gurgles. I instead quickly snatched away the large scroll.

"That's so cool! How do you do that?!" Inoue asked as she began to bounce around excitedly.

"Very carefully," I answered as I opened one of the flaps of my chûnin jacket. I allowed the scroll to fall out and into my palm before taking a seat. I opened another flap, allowing a small jar of ink and a brush to come out. I opened the scroll and began to make individual seals for the different rouges. "If any of you have a bingo book, please check it for all the faces here."

Takahashi stepped forwards and pulled a small, black book from his back pouch. "On it."

"You really are good at fūinjutsu, huh?" Inoue asked as she watched me scribble out everything I needed for the seals.

"Yeah. I started out young," I stated simply before pausing to look down at the large scroll. I also made a seal for that and quickly sealed that scroll up.

"All of them are in the bingo book," Takahashi said as he came back. He squatted down in front of me and showed the different ranking rouges from Amegakure.

"How particular..." I noted softly as I started once again of the different seals for the bodies.

"What is?" Yamamoto asked.

"You and Inoue check their bags. Be extremely cautious," I ordered, not at all liking the information I was presented with.

"Hey, Haruno-chan, what's on your mind?" Takahashi inquired as he took a seat.

"Logically speaking, rouges typically stay around a certain area from where they defected from, right? Why would this group go so far from their own country, especially to an area so close to Konohagakure?" My eyes narrowed slightly as I stated down at my finished work. "It's unreasonably foolish of them."

"Well, they could just be outliers," the red-head suggested.

I looked him dead in the eyes, not at all impressed with his deduction skills. As I stared into those purple eyes filled with hidden mirth, a thought occurred to me. I kept that thought to myself, however, and stood up with my scroll. I sealed the five bodies away before going after the other two. I sealed the tent guy up and then headed after Takahashi's kill. I knelt down next to it and set the scroll up like I was going to seal him.

"We got nothing," Inoue said with a small pout as she and her teammate came over.

"You didn't check the last one," I replied as I pulled out a kunai. I threw it to my 4 o'clock at an angle of 78 and ordered, "Check him, too."

"Er..." Inoue shut her mouth when a body suddenly fell from a tree and smacked against the ground. "Damn..."

The blue-eyed guy nodded before they walked over to pat him down.

Takahashi, meanwhile, began to narrow his eyes. "What kind of rookie are you?"

I didn't reply and instead flipped the body over, not liking how stiff it was. I stared into those blank eyes, though it was fairly obvious the person died in pain that still lingered. "Did you know that if a body is this warm and stiff, it means the person has been dead for three to eight hours? It's something called rigor mortis where the muscles of the human body stiffen."

"Okay, so I didn't kill him. What about it?" He asked, an underlying threat in his voice.

I bent the leg of the corpse to reveal that it wasn't stiff yet. "It hasn't spread, so the person has been deceased for around three hours. Of course, that isn't exactly he most concerning thing to me. What is, however, is the fact he died an extremely painful death, one without physical means of torture... Or so it would appear..."

"And you're implying...?" The ginger questioned.

"Well I'm implying the evidence is on the inside," I explained while pointing to the opened mouth of the deceased.

The tongue had a large scorch mark, and his throat was bloodied. If was fairly obvious the man died screaming.

"Another odd thing is his lack of hitai-ate. The other six were all wearing them, so for him to not have one is rather odd, don't you agree?" I inquired, causing him to hum softly.

"Hey... When did you enter the academy?" The purple-eyed individual asked suddenly.

I raised a brow while looking back at him. "Six, why?"

"When'd you graduate?" He asked instead.

"12..." I answered slowly.

"You're clearly a prodigy. Why stay back with everyone else?" The ginger demanded to know.

I frowned and looked back at the poor dead guy. "I... have a twin sister that wasn't as advanced as me. To be honest, I only became a shinobi to protect her. I want to keep her safe and happy. That's really my only purpose in life."

"Is that so...?" Takahashi patted my shoulder before fully standing up. "That's a good goal. I'm sure someone will soon come to help you gain the power to protect her even more."

I gave him a closed-eye smile, one that Kakashi-sensei often used to reassure people. "I hope so. I'd really appreciate that."

"He has this scroll that's carefully sealed. We should take it back so Hokage-sama can look at it," Inoue stated as she stared down at the seal.

"Of course," I replied as I took it off her hand. I glanced down at the seal, tensed up and then fucking chucked it. I watched the decoy explode a few meters away, my arms automatically bringing themselves up to shield me. I don't know why, but I sealed up the body in front of me before ordering a retreat. I jumped towards the second unsealed body, picked it up, and retreated with my team.

"Why the fuck did you take the body?!" Yamamoto yelled at me as I followed the three.

"Gut feeling," I answered honestly before hissing softly, "Suppress your chakra as much as you can. We need to use stealth if we are going to make it back in one piece."

The three looked at me before giving nods.

I then took the lead despite the body over my shoulder and began to take up lower tree branches. If I went to high, I would most likely encounter other shinobi in the trees. If I went on the ground, I'd be easily visible to those on the ground level. If I went in the middle zone, I would be able to live through whatever was going to happen. Hopefully, my team, my responsibility, would be able to live as well.

We made it few hundred meters away when an idea managed to come to the forefront of my mind.

I stopped and made four kage bunshins. I then had three of them transform before heading in the original direction. I smirked as I lead my team in a different direction.

"What the hell was that?" Yamamoto questioned as we kept moving.

"Distraction," Takahashi answered, causing me to nod.

"Oh, cool. What jutsu was that? The didn't look like illusions," Inoue inquired softly.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It was a technique developed by Nidaime-sama. Those aren't illusions, but rather perfect copies that can endure quite the beating. Uzumaki Naruto used them during the finals of the chûnin exams, but mine are a bit more durable. They can even make it through the wrath of Tsunade-hime." I grinned proudly as I remembered the horrible memories of my poor kage bunshin.

"If she's a Hokage now, why call her Tsunade-hime?" Takahashi asked.

"Even if the person's ranking has changed, they're still the same person they always were. I always call people by the first name I hear them being called. For Godaime-sama, the first name I heard her being called was Tsunade-hime. So, I call her that. Besides, she doesn't seem to mind it, so I haven't bothered to change it," I explained honestly before pausing. "Well, there are a few exceptions to that, actually. I sometimes refer to the first two Hokages by their first names, of course with '-sama' added. The only person I had ever called Hokage-sama was Sandaime-sama."

"Because you knew him as Hokage-sama before anyone else, right?" Takahashi inferred, causing me to nod in approval.

"Yeah, that's right," I replied before glancing upwards. "About 5:00. Estimated return time - 5:27. No enemy movement or chakra signatures. Mission, success. Bodies will be handed over to ANBU Corpse Disposal. Scrolls of information will be given to Tsunade-hime. No liabilities given. Estimated break time of 3 minutes, then new orders."

"You have a type-a personality, don't you?" Inoue teased while bringing up her hand to hide a small grin.

I gave a one-shouldered shrug. I didn't really know my personality type, but I did know I liked having all of my shit planned out ahead of time.

Realizing I didn't really want to go into any more details, my team remained silent for the rest of the way back. We first stopped at the corpse disposal department to hand the bodies over and then headed over to Tsunade-hime's office.

On our way there, I began to write up the mission report. I hated paperwork...

Takahashi knocked on the door, earning an annoyed, "Enter."

I walked in behind my team, still quickly scribbling away the information I had from both myself and my bunshins.

"The mission was successful. Good job," the blonde said from behind her desk.

"Thank you," I replied politely before finishing up my details. I handed it over causing her to raise a brow.

She seemed impressed by the fact I knew how to properly write up a mission report, but it was rather self-explanatory. "The scrolls?"

I pulled out the mission scroll as the other one held the larger scroll was sealed away in. I unsealed the large scroll and watched her brow raise. "I haven't opened it but I'm not sensing any traps."

The sennin nodded and flicked her hand up to get one of the ANBU members to take it. She then took my mission scroll back and looked past me at the team I lead. "Would you say he has the leadership skills to be a chûnin?"

"You bet!" Inoue chirped while giving a thumbs up.

"Yeah, I guess..." Yamamoto replied while looking away.

Takahashi gave a nod of approval.

She gave a smirk before turning her amber eyes back to me. "Well then, I have a new mission for you. You need to go retrieve Kakashi."

"He's taking his sweet, old time again, isn't he?" I asked while shaking my head in disapproval. "And here I thought I traumatized the deadbeat out of him."

The woman raised up a blonde brow.

"It'd be best it you ask Gai-sensei," I replied while waving her nonverbal question off. I then gave a bow and stated, "I'll be getting Kakashi-sensei now."

"You're dismissed," Tsunade-hime said.

I used the hiraishin jutsu to leave the room, appearing on Nidaime-sama's head. I sat down and carefully began to summon forth my chakra. I then carefully picked through all of the chakra seals I've placed over the past few months before settling on one that I created within the last week. My eyes shot open before I teleported to Kakashi-sensei. I quickly landed on a branch and began to jump next to him.

"Hokage-sama sent you, didn't she?" The silvernette questioned.

"Yeah. She said to retrieve you, but abandoning a teammate isn't exactly on the top of my priority list," I explained, earning a small nod of approval.

"Good. You go ahead to see if you can help break them up," the Hatake instructed.

"Of course," I answered before closing my eyes. I focused in of the chakra seal of Duckass and teleported there. I jumped back quickly, however, upon seeing whatever the fuck the Uchiha transformed into.

The bitch had dark-grey skin, and his hair grew and turned dark blue. His eyes had also turned dark blue, and he had achieved the three-tomoe sharingan in both eyes. Across the bridge of his nose appeared a dark, star-shaped mark. Additionally, he grew webbed, claw-chapter wings from his back.

Of course, Naruto wasn't any fucking better. His eyes became red and slitted, plus his nails and canine teeth grew longer and sharper. His blonde hair grew longer and spikier, and the whisker-like marks on his cheeks widened and thickened. Red, translucent chakra reminiscent of boiling liquid had surrounded his entire body. Forming a long with it were sharp claws around his hands, foxlike ears sprouting from his head, and a single tail coming from his tailbone.

Needless to say, a normal fucking person like myself had no business there.

Holy fuck, you are aliens! I internally criticized.

"Kukuku... Not even you could dream of stopping me now," Duckass stated while looking over at me with his freaky-ass eyes.

"Well right about now, it would be beneficial to the village to let you scamper away. I mean, have you seen your fucking face?" I asked while pointing at said face.

"Haruno-kun! This is our fight!" Uzumaki-kun suddenly yelled at me.

"Thank kami-sama," I replied while taking several steps back from the two. Itachi-senpai, fuck you. Kakashi-sensei, fuck you too. Why the fuck do I have to be here?

Uchiha suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky. "Do you know...? This place is called the "Valley of the End," the country's border."

Wow, this asshole knows geography, I internally praised sarcastically.

"This is the perfect setting, isn't it... Naruto?" The Orochimaru underling asked, causing Uzumaki-kun to fully recognize Duckass's intent. "Yes... That's right... Like I said, the time for talk is over... Well, finally it's ending... This battle..."

I jumped back quickly as both boys began to charge up their newest learned attacks. I unfortunately met with the waterfall and decided to just run up it to not get involved in the shitstorm that was going to destroy the fan it hit.

Fuck those fast-moving assholes. Fuck their overpowered attacks. Fuck their colliding attacks that created a terrible ball of chakra. Fuck how strong those goddamn monsters were.

The black ball of chakra expanded to cover half of the waterfall. It soon turned white, however, and exploded. Everyone was sent their own directions.

My dumbass was tossed into the air like a rag doll and dropped down without any restraint. The sudden exposure to such powerful chakra caused a shock to my system, making me unable to move my limbs. I was fucking powerless as I splashed into the cold waters, slowly sinking down to the bottom. Actually, I was probably being swept away, but it seemed as though I was sinking faster.

The sun started fading as storm clouds covered the sky. It seemed as though the force of their chakra had changed the fucking weather. Goddamn fucking alien descendants or whatever the fuck they were. Rain quickly started falling, adding to the incredibly shitty situation.

I hope Sasuke dies, I thought as I finally regained control of my body through the necessity for air. I swam as hard as possible, and surfaced some ways down the river. I managed to control my chakra enough to kneel down on the surface of the water, my lungs spitting up water by the fucking liters. Of course I'm being sarcastic, but it honestly felt like I swallowed an entire ocean.

Duckass was taking his leave while holding his bleeding left arm.

With great annoyance, I stood up and began to chase after the bastard. I was ready for the day to be over with even though I hadn't even eaten breakfast by that point in time. I was just fucking done with everyone's bullshit and wanted to crawl back into bed.

Uchiha made it to the top of the valley and started walking along, the fucking asshole.

I teleported in front of his with a bitch glare. "Okay, we have two options here. You can pick a fight and go to Orochimaru, or you can stay and I'll tell you all you could ever want to know about Itachi."

He looked very displeased and activated his sharingan once again. He was so worn out, yet so willing to fight some more. Dear fucking kami-sama, that asshole wasn't worth any sort of time.

I gave a deep, dramatic sigh as I pulled out my tantō. I had more chakra than him, so I could probably do some damage. I just needed to find a good opportunity to strike, and there was no time like the present. I lunged forwards, ready to slice his leg off or something.

Unfortunately, he jumped over me and began to run away.

I stared blankly for a moment before yelling, "You bastard!"

Uchiha then pulled off a very dickish move. He flipped me off with his right hand and continued to run.

"I hope Orochimaru is as pedophilic as he looks, Duckass!" I screamed at him, but didn't bother to pursue him. I gave a small grumble before sheathing my tantō. I grumbled under my breath as I began to stumble my way back to the asshole of a sensei.

By the time I got back to the valley, Kakashi-sensei had already taken Uzumaki-kun and left. The bastard didn't even wait around for me! What was I to him?! Chopped liver?! Something even worse than scum?!

On the bright side, it had stopped raining.

I grumbled before walking to the Hashirama-sama side of the valley. Once there, I gladly began to rest under a tree. I groaned loudly before running my hands down my still-wet face. I'll them all later about Orochimaru's "immortality" jutsu. That should put everyone at ease, at least for a few years.

About half an hour passed, and the sky fully cleared. It seemed as though the effects of the chakra on the environment had finally worn off.

However, the effects of the chakra on my body were finally starting to become noticeable. I grimaced as I forced myself to my feet. I had something wrong with my chakra system, and I was probably going to get in the biggest trouble from Tsunade-hime. I internally prayed for my personal well-being before narrowing in on Kakashi-sensei's chakra seal. I tried teleporting to him, only to slam myself into a tree about halfway between him and I. As I fell down to the ground, I realized I was going to have to walk or risk possible death.

Needless to say, I chose possible death.

About four bad tree-related injuries later, I spotted Kakashi-sensei in the far distance talking to three medical nins. I brought my pinkies up to my mouth and released a loud whistle to catch their attentions.

The four still conscious all stopped and looked back at me. Of course, once the medical nins saw my bloodied face, curtesy of the fucking trees, they immediately began to come over.

I dodged them all before rushing to my sensei's side. "I lost him..."

He shook his head. "It's fine. As long as you're alive."

"Yeah..." I looked away, causing him to turn his full attention towards me.

"What is it?" He pressed.

"Ah, well... I think their attack fucked up my chakra system," I replied honestly while scratching the back of my neck nervously. "And I really don't know how serious it is since I'm not a Hyūga."

The Hatake stared down at me blankly as the three medics made it back to us. "So basically, you're saying there's a chance you could die soon."

"I said I'm not a Hyūga," I replied with a shrug.

Apparently honesty isn't always the best answer.

I was suddenly forced on to a stretcher by the medical nins and rushed off with my sensei following close behind. "I'm not willing to bet, so there's no need to freak out."

"That's even worse! It means you're not sure either way!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed.

"Did Gai-sensei tell you that?" I asked with great annoyance.

He didn't answer, meaning I was most definitely correct.

I gave a deep sigh before just relaxing myself. "So, how'd your mission go?"

"It was a success," the jônin answered.

"So was mine," I said, earning a confused noise. "Oh, right. So I had my first mission as a chûnin today. I killed seven rouges from Amegakure that were in the area."

"That's at least a B-rank mission!" The sharingan-wielder exclaimed.

"Yeah, but my kill count was already over twenty, so Tsunade-hime figured it would be a walk in the park for my team and I," I explained.

"Oh, so you were just tagging along them?" The black-eyed man concluded with a tilt of his head.

"Uh, no. I was the taichō that mission," I replied, nearly causing him to miss his next landing.

"So how many rouges were there?!" The silvernette asked loudly, concern clearly growing abundant in his eye.

"Seven," I answered with as much of a shrug as I could pull off while being restrained.

"What the hell did your team do?!" He yelled.

"Well Inoue and Yamamoto checked the camp while Takahashi looked through the bingo book for their faces. Oh, and I made a few kage bunshins to pack up the camp and bring all of their stuff to Tsunade-hime before our group got back. Ah, right, and there was a suspicious body there..." I closed my eyes while thinking of the face stuck in perpetual pain. "The dude was dead for about three hours before we got there. His tongue had a large burn, and there was very clearly some internal torture. Anyway, I think he was the one who passed along the big scroll to the rouges."

"What village was he from?" Kakashi-sensei asked with a furrowed brow.

"Not sure. He had no hitai-ate," I replied while giving another pathetic attempt at shrugging.

"Honestly..." The former ANBU member shook his head before making a neutral expression. "And then you immediately go get your chakra system messed up."

"You know, Sasuke's chakra increased tenfold from whatever those Otogakure fucks did to that seal. He also looked... erm... like a fucking alien." I then proceeded to tell the man what Duckass looked like, causing extreme confusion/concern to fill his features. "To make things even worse, the idiot over there-" I motioned with my chin to Uzumaki-kun. "-looked fucking possessed by the kyūbi." I explained the weird red chakra that surrounded the blonde, causing Kakashi-sensei to look over his shoulder at the unconscious kid. "Those pieces of shit used their strongest attacks and created this fucking terrible ball of chakra that exploded, and I got caught up in it. Now my body is all fucked up, and I have no way of teleporting around to give people pieces of my mind, starting with that fucking bird that woke me up at 3:30 in the fucking morning!"

"She deployed a bird to wake you up at 3:30 in the morning?" The man repeated in shock.

"Oh, killing rouges this early will be easy. I won't even let you get four hours of sleep or eat breakfast because I'm such a bitch. I'm an alcoholic that couldn't gamble to save my life. All I like doing is nag, nag, nag, bitch, bitch, bitch." I mocked angrily, my sadism starting to spike up for pretty much no reason.

"Oh, right. You're blood sugar level is low," Kakashi-sensei realized before reaching into his back pouch. He pulled out a snack bar, carefully opened it with one hand, and then placed it into my mouth.

I ate it without complaints and without the need for hands because I was just that badass. I was calmed down a bit by the food and gave my sensei a blank expression. "By the way, you still owe me strawberry daifuku."

"Ah, right. I was called away on a mission before I could get them," the jônin recalled before giving a sheepish expression. "Well, I'm sure you'll be in the hospital, so I'll deliver them later."

"Good," I approved before taking in a deep breath through my nose. I closed my eyes and began to drift off to sleep.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Eight

I stared up at the ceiling while nibbling on the rice, anko paste, and strawberries. I had slept for a few hours before waking back up. I had a dozen of my precious sweets by me when I awoke, so I figured the day would go better from that point on.

Tsunade-hime entered about five minutes after I awoke and gave an irked smile. "How long do you intend on being here?"

"I didn't know Sasuke and Naruto were actually going to use their full power to try and kill each other," I replied honestly, making her sigh.

"Well, besides the obvious injuries you face, yes, your chakra system had some damage." She closed the door behind herself and came to take a seat besides my bed. "A Hyūga came in and looked at your chakra system. It will repair itself, and they did what they could to get your chakra nodes open. It will take a week or so, but you'll be able to walk it off then."

"Yeah, okay, but what about the others?" I questioned urgently.

"Everyone is alive and awake. They'll all live and recover soon," the medic assured me.

A massive sigh of relief came from deep within me. I then immediately shot up and asked, "Lee-senpai - did he take the surgery?"

The blonde nodded. "Yes he did, and it was a success."

I gave a relieved smile, glad everything pretty much worked out.

"Even though you may come off as rude with your constant sass, you really do care about your friends a lot," the Hokage noted aloud softly, causing me to nod. "Will you be able to complete the mission the old man gave to you?"

I nodded while staring down at my half-eaten mochi. "Of course. If it keeps them safe an happy, I'll be glad. Besides, a strong ally should come back once I complete the mission, so that's an added benefit."

"Don't you mean two?" The Senju inquired.

My face scrunched up. "No, the other one is more of someone I tolerate. They could jump off a cliff and die for all I care."

"Really?" Tsunade-hime asked with a genuinely surprised tone.

"Yeah," I agreed before giving a deep sigh. I then perked up as a different thought entered my mind. "Have you heard about Orochimaru's immortality jutsu?" I received a nod, causing me to grin. "Well, Orochimaru's jutsu works by switching his spirit to another person's body. There's a catch, however, as he can only perform the jutsu every three years. And I'm willing to bet that Sasuke arrived just after Orochimaru had to switch bodies."

Her eyes widened as her jaw slackened a bit. "Are... are you saying that?"

"Yeah. Since we stalled Sasuke and the otonin, Orochimaru doesn't have full access to the sharingan. Hell, he won't have it for another three years," I concluded with a large grin.

Her pink lips stretched into a grin before she smacked my back harshly. "Hah! And people say betting is bad! Good work, Ren!"

"Ah, I wasn't the one to nearly die to stall Sasuke. Congratulate them first," I advised while trying to rub my aching back.

"Yeah, yeah. You make sure to rest up. I'll tell a few others," the woman assured me as she got up and began to walk away.

I gave as half-assed wave before going back to my strawberry daifuku. I happily stared out the window at the peaceful village that was starting to stabilize itself. I felt happy, happier than I had in the past few months. Even though I knew that life was going to get a hell of a lot more dark, I could still enjoy moments of peace and relaxation.

The sun slowly began to make its journey across the sky as people went along with their lives. People were constantly on the move, whether they recognized it or not. The only truly stable things were the landscape, the thing that kept this village constant and safe.

I had finished the sweets off and was watching two particular birds fly through the sky when the door to my room opened. "Hello."

"It's about time you woke up."

I looked over in surprise to the blue-eyed girl that entered my room. "Ino-chan, what are you doing here?"

The blonde rolled her eyes as she walked over. "What do you think I'm here for, idiot?"

I gave a half-assed shrug before eyeing up the flower she had. "Duckass isn't here."

"I know. This is for you," she said as she walked over to the window and placed the jasmine flowers into a small vase.

"I'm sure that you're not implying I'm graceful," I stated while looking at the white flowers with a small smirk.

"The other meaning is friendly," the Yamanaka replied with a roll of her eyes.

I snickered softly. "I can't believe you thought I didn't know."

"Of course, I knew you knew," she said before leaning against the windowsill with her arms crossed. "Look, Ren... I know you would gladly push Sasuke off of a cliff, so why would you ever go out of your way to get him back?"

"I didn't hate him that bad," I stated, only to get called out by the girl's mere expression. "Okay, so I would gladly RKO him off of multiple cliffs, but that doesn't mean I would just let him waltz out of the village like that. He was my teammate, my fellow Konoha shinobi. If I were to abandon him and just let him leave, what kind of person would I be?"

Her eyes drifted away before she nodded, buying my lie. "Okay, that makes sense. For a second there, I thought you were going to spout some bullshit about keeping your sister happy."

Nearly caught me there, I thought, making sure to not allow my expression to betray me. "Do I really have that bad of a brother complex?"

"Yes," she answered without any hesitation.

"Ouch," I commented with an annoyed face.

"You'll get over it," Ino-chan stated while waving me off. She gently pushed her bangs aside before glancing towards the Hokage Monument. "I think... your sister wants to become an apprentice for Hokage-sama."

"That wouldn't surprise me," I said, causing her to look at me in surprise. "She was called a useless crybaby a few times in the past, and I'm sure she reflected on it when seeing people so close to her injured over something she couldn't do. She doesn't like being indebted to people, and she most certainly hates being able to do nothing. In that way, we are most definitely twins." I chuckled as I closed my eyes before allowing my expression to turn emotionless. "Jiraiya-sama will most definitely take Naruto under his wing, and Tsunade-hime will do the same for Sakura. As you know, Sasuke has already run off to Orochimaru. Those three will be taught be the legendary sennin for sure."

"What will you do?" The Yamanaka questioned with a slightly worried tone of voice.

"Relax, I too will train as hard as I can." I opened my eyes and gave her a proud smirk. "Just because I won't have a sennin teach me, doesn't mean I'll lay down and accept defeat. I'll continue to gain knowledge and surpass everyone I can."

"All for your sister, right?" The blonde teased, only to be shocked by my response.

I released a single laugh of defiance. "No, not just for her. I have someone I owe a favor to since I lied about loving them right to their face. I can only repay them by getting stronger to help them with a burden they have on their shoulders."

"What kind of asshole are you?!" She exclaimed.

I answered honestly, "The kind of asshole that always gets what he wants in the end, and you better fucking believe I'm going to do everything I can to keep that winning streak up."

~3 Months Later~

It had been three months since Sasuke left the village.

The Uchiha had most definitely made it to Orochimaru by then and started his training.

Sakura had indeed been taken under Tsunade-hime's wing and began the necessary training to become a medic nin.

Word had also gotten around that Naruto was going to leave with Jiraiya-sama to train.

That, of course, left me without a sensei. But, I had a plan for that.

I had completed several missions over those few months, several with Takahashi and his team. I was sort of taken under Takahashi's wings since our ideologies were so similar. Of course, no one else knew I was spouting as much bullshit as I could manage. I was loyal to Konoha, yes, but I wasn't such a rule-oriented piece of shit.

In any case, all that ass-kissing had finally reached it's goal the day after Naruto left.

I was in the forest where I had found a clearing.

Needless to say, after that amount of time, it wasn't really a clearing anymore. There were spiraling tree branches and gnarled trunks that I had been slowly integrating into my techniques to make for better offensive techniques. It wasn't that hard in theory, but your chakra control had to be precise and used with deadly accuracy.

I was a disgustingly sweaty mess after finishing up with my training routine which consisted of hard taijutsu training, tantō training, and finally mokuton training. I suddenly felt two presences behind me and whirled around while grabbing for the handle of my tantō. I stopped, however, upon seeing the smirking face of Takahashi.

Next to the ginger stood a man who didn't quite look his age. That old man had black, shaggy hair, and his right eye was bandaged. He had an X-shaped scar on his chin. He wore a white shirt with a black robe over the top of it, covering from his feet to just over his right shoulder. Even though some may think of him as a frail old man that would need a cane to walk, anyone who looked into that one black eye knew better.

"You know I hate it when you do that," I stated as I pointed my left index finger at Takahashi accusingly.

"I like keeping you on your toes," he replied while giving a closed-eye smile.

I internally flipped the man off as I stood up and got into a standby stance. I looked at the old man apologetically and said, "I'm terribly sorry for the horrible greeting, Danzō-sama, but I'm not fond of people he decide to suddenly appear behind me."

"You know him?" The ginger asked with a small tilt of his head.

"Who wouldn't? He is one of the three members of the Elder Council who advise the Hokage when making decisions regarding the village," I replied expertly while keeping any sign of sassiness off of my face.

The old man gave a small smirk and nodded. "That is correct. I've heard several good things about you from Kumonoe."

"I would like to say the same, however he hasn't spoke of you," I stated with a blank expression.

"Well, that doesn't really matter right now. I've heard of your talent and situation, and I'd like to offer you a place in my organization," Danzō stated.

My brow furrowed a bit and I tilted my head to the side. "Organization?"

"It's called the Root, and it will train you well. You can receive the power to protect your sister and the village if you take this opportunity," the black-haired man explained simply.

I straightened up and put on a determined face. "It can really give me that sort of power?"

"If you train hard enough, yes," the Shimura answered with a nod of affirmation.

"Of course. I'll join it," I said as I brightened up.

The man gave a small chuckle. "Good. You'll start today."

"May I tell my sister first?" I asked, causing the man to pause.

He debated it for a second before nodding. "Very well. While you're there, tell her that you will be gone for as long as Uzumaki Naruto is."

I remained silent for a second before allowing my face to show minor concern. "That's going to be at least 2 years, sir," I pointed out.

"You want to get stronger, don't you?" The asshole of a man questioned.

I stared down at my feet for a second before nodding. "Very well. I'll do what I must."

"Be back here in five minutes," Danzō directed while waving me off.

I bowed before using the hiraishin jutsu to quickly appear next to my sister. "Yo."

The girl jumped away from the fish she was bringing back to life with a small squeal of surprise.

"Ah, sorry," I apologized as she whirled around out of instinct.

"Haruno Ren, why are you disrupting my pupil?" Tsunade-hime snapped at me.

"Ah, well, I'm going away for a while," I said while looking between the two blankly. "I'm going to be trained under Shimura Danzō until Naruto comes back."

"That's a long time..." Sakura muttered worriedly.

"Hey, think about it this way. This way, when everyone meets up again, we'll all have some great surprises for each other," I said with a bright smile.

The pinkenette hummed softly before begrudgingly nodding. "Okay..."

"Great! Once I get back, I'll be so amazing, I'll make every man fall for me with just a look!" I exclaimed with my hands on my hips.

The girl laughed, causing my large smile to wilt. "Yeah, right. You'll still be as sarcastic and delinquenty as ever."

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Oi! I'll get super hot and popular with the guys!"

She laughed even harder and actually doubled over while holding her gut. Tears formed in her green eyes, making me realize how much she actually trusted my words.

"I bet you'll be just as flat-chested as you are now!" I exclaimed while pointing at her. Needless to say, I was punched so hard, I flew across the room.

"Before you get "hot and popular," you should learn how to talk to women," Tsunade-hime criticized as she looked down at me from the couch she was sitting on.

I grumbled under my breath before raising up both of my middle fingers. I then stood up and patted myself off. "Whatever..." I turned back towards Sakura with a serious expression. I held my arms out and stated, "I want one last hug before I go."

Her annoyed expression faded away to one of slight sadness. She nodded before quickly rushing over to give me the hug of a lifetime. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you more. I love you," I replied as I gave her a tight squeeze. I then stepped back and teleported back to the clearing where Danzō and Takahashi, also known as Kumonoe, were still waiting.

"What's with that mark on your cheek?" Takahashi asked while pointing at he place where Sakura decked me.

I rubbed the left side of my face and stated, "Apparently, girls don't like being called flat-chested."

The purple-eyed man lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hinoto is going to kill you in less then a day..."

"She's flat-chested too?" I inquired, causing him to look away.

"Yeah..." He agreed.

I gave a small hum before looking at Danzō. "Should I get my equipment now?"

"That was already taken care of. Now, come," the man demanded while turning heel.

I followed after without any hesitation. I was going to fulfil the second-last mission given to me by Hokage-sama... I was going to infiltrate the Root and take them down from the inside. I would get vengeance for Shisui-senpai and Itachi-senpai, and no one was going to stop me. Even if I had to go down to hell itself, I would not fail that mission!

To be continued...


	39. Discord Server

Basically, this is a discord server I created for us all to get together over our mutual love of Haruno Ren. Feel free to join, but do so at your own risk...

https/discord.gg/hGqPxau


	40. Yep That's My Student

The sequel is here! It's called "Yep. That's My Student..." It can be found on my profile!


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